Taken in all Phrases
by Ookamii
Summary: He loved his brother, loved him with all his heart, loved him a little more than a brother really should, but she tainted him: that slutty witch. She wouldn't help him track down Kaoru's kidnappers. HikaKao. Yaoi. Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, it is true! I have found a new obsession. :D I will always love Avatar: The Last Airbender, but as you can see I'm taking a break from it for now. My reasoning: I suck at writing Avatar fanfiction, I can never keep up with it, there's nothing new I can add to it, it has a big enough fanbase without me adding pointless crap, and it's a little old now. Ouran is my new love for the moment, especially the ever so smexy twins. YAY TWINCEST! 3 **

**Back to business: I will not make this a "And then Hikaru proclaimed his love for his brother and the two made-out and had hot sex" fic. I'm tired of reading those. It's OOC, even for the twins, and they deserve a better plotline than that. If these two do have hot sex in my story, it's going to be either **

**A. WAY farther down the line **

**or **

**B. in an extremely weird plot twist that I haven't thought up yet. Although, I have been meaning to write a pretty hardcore love scene on _something,_ so it's bound to come soon. I love twincest as much as ya'll, but you won't be seeing it for a bit if at all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran: HSHC nor do I own the completely smexy twins. Sad day.**

To say there was an unnatural change in Hikaru was an understatement. To say that he was spontaneously being odd was belittlement of the current situation if Kaoru had ever heard it. He frowned into the sheets Monday morning, having expected to awaken shivering on the floor with a ragingly sore back, just like always. It seemed to be a ritual when sharing a bed with Hikaru, as they did last night. He was rather confused, also having expected to be overjoyed at the feeling of stretching in a sea of cool sheets and mountain of pillows, but could only blink in bewilderment.

_Why didn't Hikaru kick me out of bed?_

_Where is his phone?_

Kaoru rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and examined the bedside table where Hikaru's cell was nowhere to be found. Kaoru's sat alone on the barren slab of wood. Beyond confused and still a bit bleary-eyed, Kaoru turned on his other side to face the other half of the bed, expecting to find Hikaru still asleep, but then realized that the other side of the bed was not occupied. The sheets were tucked in, although still slightly wrinkled from Kaoru's movements. It looked as if no one had slept there all night.

_But we tucked each other in last night…we talked…he was there!_

Kaoru sat up and yawned, then listened. The shower wasn't running, and the bathroom door was wide open anyhow.

_Why would he take his phone into the shower anyways?_

Kaoru grumbled and threw the sheets off of him before stumbling onto his feet. He stretched and proceeded to the bathroom. He wasn't exactly concerned about Hikaru's disappearance; more than likely he had just woken up early and went on to breakfast. But even so, it wasn't like Hikaru to wake up early. He enjoyed sleeping in. Besides, the twins were pretty much in sync after years of practice; they _always _woke up at the same time. Kaoru still wasn't very concerned, but a little hurt. What if Hikaru had purposely slept in a different bedroom? They had spoken about it in a very awkward and unusual conversation for the duo. Kaoru hated it. Hikaru must've been going through a phase, because he was acting so strangely. It started when he got a girlfriend: Camille. She was French, of course, so Tamaki whole-heartedly approved despite the fact that it would put a major dent in the brotherly-love act. As a matter of fact, Tamaki grabbed her and spun her around incessantly the first time he met her, calling her "the cutest thing ever". Kaoru almost thought Haruhi would go red with jealousy, but she simply snorted at the sight and walked to class.

It wasn't that Kaoru wasn't happy for his brother, it was just that –

_No, I shouldn't complain._

The tooth brush went from side to side rhythmically against his teeth.

_He really likes her…_

_Brush…brush…brush.._

Kaoru spat and slammed the toothbrush down against the sink.

"She brings out the worst in him!" His voice echoed once and then the bathroom went completely silent, minus the steady drip of a leaky water faucet.

It was true though. Hikaru became more closed-minded by the day, almost like how he was when it was only him and Kaoru, except this time excluding Kaoru altogether. It started with, "I kinda want to go with _just _Camille." and then became "This brotherly-love game is getting boring, don't you think?" and finally ended with "Maybe we shouldn't share a bed." Of course they had made an exception for that night, or so Kaoru had thought.

* * *

><p>After he finished brushing his teeth and getting dressed in his school uniform, Kaoru headed downstairs to the kitchen – that was empty. His heart sunk. Hikaru had changed beds. There was no other explanation.<p>

And so Kaoru served himself a muffin and continued along with his lonely breakfast. Hikaru came down ten minutes later, a pleased sort of smile on his face. He sat in the chair opposite of his brother, and proceeded to bury his chin in his hands and sigh happily. After five more minutes of non-stop sighing, Kaoru felt like he was going to explode.

He cleared his throat bitterly and raised an eyebrow at Hikaru. "Have a good night?"

"The best," Hikaru mumbled, a trail of drool making its way down his palm. "I dreamt of Camille again last night." Kaoru frowned. _Again? _"We were in a garden of roses skipping and singing together," he sighed again. Secretly hoping Kaoru didn't realize he was keeping it PG for him, Hikaru continued. "She told me she loved me." Although it sounded innocent enough, Hikaru's mind immediately went to a pair of bodies slick with sweat; the one with lilac hair moaning a subtle, "I love you." into the other's ear.

"I'm surprised you could understand her," Kaoru prodded. "Her Japanese is terrible." Hikaru flashed him a warning look before getting out of his seat and heading toward the door.

"Very funny, now come on. We're going to be late."

Kaoru watched his brother walk away in surprise. _Since when does Hikaru care that we're late?_

* * *

><p>The club was packed that day. The theme was James Bondundercover agent/secret service/etc. Kyoya had special sunglasses flown in from wherever. He wouldn't tell based on the excuse that in order to keep a company's trust you must benefit them by keeping their secrets undisclosed.

Tamaki seemed to really get into his part, as he always did, and even requested Kyoya to find him some special wall-climbing equipment, such as sticky gloves, but Kyoya refused. "It isn't in the club's budget, I'm afraid," he explained with a knowing smirk. Kaoru assumed he just didn't want to go through all the trouble.

Mori-Senpai and Honey-Senpai were be fawned over by a bunch of girls exclaiming, "They match! Aren't they just the most adorable spies you've ever seen? Awww!"

Haruhi was in her own little world with three girls who kept complimenting her hair – for some reason.

Hikaru and Kaoru continued on with their act daily, even though Hikaru seemed to be bored of it.

"I know we must carry on with our mission to make these beautiful women happy," Hikaru cooed, "But – I can't help but anguish over the fact that I can't quit the mission and simply be with you, Kaoru. Your embrace means more to me than any mission." Kaoru smiled inside when Hikaru held him a little tighter, cupped his chin, and brought his face even closer.

"Then let's end this mission, Hikaru!" Kaoru whispered in a husky tone. "Our only true mission is to satisfy each other." Their guests squealed and even screamed with delight, but stopped suddenly when a figure approached the twins. It was Camille.

"My love," Camille gasped. "Oh, won't you rescue me?" Her hand flew to her forehead in obvious exaggeration. Hikaru immediately released Kaoru and fell into his girlfriend's embrace, holding her tightly. Kaoru almost spoke, but choke on his words and swallowed them once again. Their audience gasped and murmured to each other, their eyes traveling from the couple to where Kaoru sat alone, shivering in the aftershock.

Hikaru had _never _broken out of character before, never!

A few of the ladies left, but some went over to Kaoru and sat next to him on the sofa, holding him and murmuring quiet nothings in an attempt to comfort him. Kaoru only stared after his brother and Camille. A tear fell from his eye and he felt the need to just let it all out, to sob loud enough to where Hikaru could hear him and come running back. But he knew even if he did, even if he did break down right there, Hikaru wouldn't return to him.

Instead he broke out of the comforting embraces, mumbling quick apologies in an uneven tone, and faltered out of the music room.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so that's it for right now. It always looks so much longer on Microsoft Word, I swear! D: But that's pretty much setting it up for you so far.<strong>

**:) See you next time. And I promise, I'll try to keep up with this story unlike most of my others. :(**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Another update! :) Exciting, isn't it?**

Kaoru idled to the bench where Hikaru and Camille sat quietly, sharing a kiss every now and then. It made him want to puke up his lunch. But then again, his stomach had not been doing so well the rest of the day anyhow; it was twisted with remorse in his dejected state ever since Hikaru left him in the middle of their act. He spent nearly an hour throwing up and holding back sobs in the restroom.

"Are you coming?" he mumbled, holding out his hand to Hikaru. "Our ride's here." The limousine had arrived in front of the school, as normal. Hikaru, however, simply shook his head and waved his twin on.

"Camille and I have a date."

Kaoru tensed. He felt like screaming, or running, or both, but he remained composed – as painful as it was. His eyes drifted to Camille, her eyes downcast and a blush staining her cheeks. "You don't mind if I miss dinner, right?" Hikaru's voice was careless, indifferent.

"I won't have him long," Camille added. "You can see your brother later, I'm sure."

_That isn't for you to decide…bitch!_

Kaoru huffed and turned away, visibly hurt by the rejection.

_Rejection? You may be twins, but you don't have to be together all the damn time._

* * *

><p>Dinner was too quiet that night. Without Hikaru at the table with him, Kaoru was forced to <em>try <em>and enjoy his sushi while attempting to have a meaningful conversation with his parents, the term _meaningful _used quite lightly. The only refreshing point was the fact that with Hikaru gone, his mother treated him as an individual – his own being. It made Kaoru feel somewhat content, and was the only redeeming quality of the dinner – besides the sushi.

At one point, his father excused himself from the table to take a call. With his mother suddenly quiet, Kaoru decided to take the moment to listen in on what his father was saying.

"No, I'm afraid I do not donate any money to an unstable company – no sir, I do not recall any past business deals. My word is final, I do apologize. Goodbye."

Momentary confusion wrapped around Kaoru's brain. Why were unstable companies calling for donations? His interest in the situation accumulated when his mother soon excused herself as well. He could hear them murmuring about it outside of the dining room.

"But why would they.." his mother trailed off.

"Probably some desperate men meaning to make a buck," his father answered. "Strange none the less; novices are never that bold."

Uninterested in anything else his parents had to say, and finished with his dinner, Kaoru called a maid to take care of his plate and excused himself. He decided he wouldn't worry about the phone call. Worrying was no fun anyways.

Kaoru stayed up for most of the night. It didn't feel right to go to bed without Hikaru safe and sound at home, and so he watched for any signs of his brother's return. Eventually he figured that he didn't need to watch the door, so he moseyed up to his bedroom and locked himself inside, the pitch blackness enshrouding him, securing him. He sat on his bed and thought about things, about everything in reality. When he checked his phone, the time read 1:00 A.M. His eyelids suddenly felt very heavy with the realization. He had no idea that he had been awake that long, and waiting for Hikaru the entire time. Frustrated with his brother, Kaoru tore his clothes off and pulled the covers over him. He sighed before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to take over.

_He didn't say he'd be gone the entire night._

To his immediate surprise and discomfort, Kaoru woke up the next morning on the floor. He groaned, his hand covering his face, and tried to sit up, only to have his leg pulled ultimately leading to him bumping his head. His neck strained as he looked up, seeing a grinning Hikaru standing in front of him, both hands wrapped around his foot. Kaoru kicked Hikaru off, only making Hikaru's grin stretch wider.

"Startled you, huh?" Hikaru laughed. Kaoru dragged his palm across his face, inordinately annoyed.

"Why'd you pull me out of bed?" he growled.

Hikaru shrugged. "You looked like you needed it. You were drooling up a storm. Yet strangely enough, you still have bags under your eyes. I would've thought you got a deeper sleep."  
>"I would've," Kaoru began, standing and rubbing the back of his neck. "But I was waiting for you."<p>

Hikaru frowned and looked to the floor. Why did Kaoru care how long he was out? They spent all their time together. Surely that was enough. But then again, Kaoru did seem angry the day before, so maybe that was why. Whatever Kaoru was angry about, it was still boiling. Hikaru's amber eyes caught Kaoru's. He did look pretty upset.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said softly, putting a steady hand on Kaoru's left shoulder. "I didn't realize I would be out so long. But you know, you really should've gone to bed." He smirked. Kaoru looked up at him and allowed a small smile to show on his face, but it disappeared again as soon as Hikaru continued. "Tonight I want you to go to bed on time; get a good sleep. I don't know when I'm going to get back tonight because Camille has something special planned."

"Camille, Camille, Camille," Kaoru hissed.

"Yes, Camille," Hikaru confirmed, mirroring Kaoru's frown. "What's wrong with Camille?"

"Nothing," Kaoru sighed before walking to the bathroom door. But as soon as his hand touched the knob, Kaoru turned and said, "Just that she's all you ever talk about." He then entered the bathroom and shut the door in Hikaru's face.

* * *

><p>Hikaru walked through the halls of the school alone, searching frantically for Kaoru. His 'pain in the ass' twin was nowhere to be found, and he was genuinely worried. They had to get to the host club quickly or the boss would lecture them till eternity, something Hikaru was really not in the mood for.<p>

He was just about to give up altogether and go alone when someone latched onto his arm.

"There you are Kao – oh, it's you." Camille flashed him one of her dazzling smiles and held his arm tighter.

"Not who you were expecting?"

"No, I was looking for Kaoru. But it's okay." The indifference in his voice, though normal, made her frown just the same. But instead of letting her jealousy show through like Kaoru let his, she just played on the situation.

"Oh, I'm sorry love," she cooed as they began walking to the music room. "Did you have a little quarrel?"

"No, well, I don't know. I guess we might have."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she cooed again, a smile crossing her face. "But you have me, so everything will be alright."

"Yeah," Hikaru sighed. "By the way," he added. "I think your Japanese has improved."

It was a good thing that the club was rather empty that day, much to Tamaki's disappointment.

"We're losing all of our princesses!" he cried.

"According to my research, today is a very popular day for doctor's appointments," Kyoya stated matter-of-factly. "Go figure."

"At least we still have each other, right Haruhi?" Tamaki swooned, latching on to Haruhi from the back, but quickly getting smacked away.

"Hey, get off me!"

Hikaru simply shrugged. There was no way he could do his act anyways, not without Kaoru. He really was concerned, even though he was still a little angry at his younger brother for how he had behaved that morning. He loved and trusted Kaoru with all his heart, but really, what was wrong with Camille? Why did Kaoru get so defensive everytime he went out on a date with her? He was happy. He was no longer the solitary twisted teenager he had been. Shouldn't Kaoru be happy for him? For once, someone had managed to open him up, but he still felt closed in. He couldn't truly celebrate without his brother. It was a fact of life that they were connected.

Finally Kaoru appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry boss," he murmured.

"Where the hell were you?" Tamaki interrogated him ferociously. Hikaru couldn't help but giggle at his twin's reaction. He looked as if he wanted to sock the boss in the nose. By God, Hikaru would let him.

Honey-Senpai leaped off of Mori-Senpai's shoulders and pulled Kaoru into a hug. "There you are Kao-Chan!" Honey beamed at him. "Hika-Chan was so lonely without you, weren't you Hika-Chan?" he called over to where Hikaru sat.

"I guess," Hikaru answered in his usual bored tone.

"That's a surprise," Kaoru snapped at his brother.

Honey's eyes grew wide as he looked from Hikaru to Kaoru. As a matter of fact, everyone's eyes went wide, and then everyone in the music room was staring. They could all sense the tension. Haruhi stood up and walked in between the two.

"Now what's wrong?" she asked, showing no hesitance.

"What's going on?" Honey asked Kaoru, blinking away tears.

"Mitsukuni," Mori stepped in, picking him up and placing him back on his shoulders. "Leave them alone."

"I'm surprised you noticed I was gone at all," Kaoru whispered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hikaru stood up, forcing himself out of Camille's embrace.

"Nothing, nothing," Kaoru shook his head.

"Don't tell me nothing, Kaoru!" Hikaru snapped, moving Haruhi aside. "I know there's something wrong. Something's making you act like a total jerk."

"I'm acting like a total jerk?" Kaoru raised his voice. "I'm sorry for caring!"

"And who says I'm not caring?"

"I am!"

"Please stop this!" Tamaki whined. "Daddy doesn't like all this fighting!" Tears of anxiety leaked out from under his eyelashes.

"No," Hikaru snapped, bringing himself face to face with Kaoru. "Now," he put his hands on Kaoru's shoulders, "tell me what the issue is."

"The issue is your stupid girlfriend! She always gets in the way now. You can never spend time with me anymore because you're always spending time with her!"

"Why do I have to spend all my time with you?" Hikaru yelled at his brother, shaking his shoulders as if to try and get him to talk sense. "I've spent time with you for sixteen years! Is that just not enough for you?" Kaoru opened his mouth to scream back, but closed it again when he realized he had nothing to say. He had no good reply to that because it was true. Hikaru continued.

"Why can't you just be happy for me? I've found someone who manages to make me feel independent. Why can't you just be happy for me?" he repeated, searching his brother's eyes. Unfortunately, all he saw was anger, raw anger and frustration. It scared him a little. Kaoru never looked that violent. But then again, he imagined he looked the same.

"Please," Kaoru snorted, rolling his eyes. "You haven't found any real connection. I know why you're gone so late at night Hikaru: you screw her don't you?"

Tamaki freaked. Mori covered Honey's ears. Kyoya typed on his laptop. Haruhi caught herself watching Camille intently. She wasn't even blushing, as if the fact that she was sleeping with Hikaru should've been obvious.

Hikaru, however, blushed madly. His voice was strangled as he answered Kaoru's accusation.

"That isn't any of your concern, Kaoru!"

"How is it not any of my concern that you're breeding a dirty bitch?"

And then a sharp pain made Kaoru cry out as Hikaru's fist met his face and he fell to the floor clutching his cheek and biting his lip to keep from crying, but the tears rained down his cheeks despite the attempt. Watery eyes peered up at Hikaru from where he kneeled. He would've gasped if he had not been trying to hold back several sobs. Hikaru's eyes were dangerously aggressive as he glared down at Kaoru in enmity.

"Don't you ever call her that again," his voice quivered with rage.

And then Hikaru stormed through the doors with Camille trailing behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, things are getting rather heated between Hikaru and Kaoru. No, they are not going to have make-up sex you silly fangirls and...fanboys? Hmm, well, I don't know if I'm moving this story a little too fast. I'll try to slow it down because I think things are developing too quickly at the moment.<strong>

**Please read and review. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, yeah, I know I got this chapter out pretty quickly but you said update soon. :D Anyways, "I hate Camille". Good! Trust me, I agree with you all the way, but she'll get what's coming to her eventually. -cough- spoilers -cough- There'll be quite a big price to pay for it though. Warning: Lemon ahead, although, probably not the one you want. Don't worry, you'll get that one too later on. Actually, this one is more of a lime 'cause I don't go into great detail. Warning: Emotional drama ahead. :)**

Hikaru grew tired of being angry with Kaoru three hours later. He felt like a jerk, a huge jerk. Camille disagreed, and told him that she was falling in love with him all over again for defending her honor the way he did. Hikaru pretty much ignored her. He was so torn up inside; he had so many voices screaming at him in his head, giving him different outlooks on the present situation between him and his brother. One voice claimed that Kaoru had crossed the line, and deserved a good punch to the face. Yet another declared that it thought Kaoru meant more to Hikaru, and that he was supposed to keep him from getting hurt instead of throwing the blows.

_Kaoru does mean a lot to me, but that doesn't mean he needs to be insulting my girlfriend._

Hikaru was still torn. He hated the fact that he needed to choose which person he was loyal to, it made things too complicated. Once again, his mind went to war. On one side, Kaoru was his beloved little brother, capable of cheering him up on rainy days and the only person he could ever really talk to. On the other side, Camille was his beloved girlfriend, and the only one who truly gave him a chance and only saw him as Hikaru, not necessarily a twin.

_By sleeping with you._

So there was one little dent, so what?

Why was it a problem that he was having sex with Camille? It wasn't rape, and they were using protection. Perhaps it was because it seemed like she was just using him for the sex. But why would she do that? Surely normal couples had sex all the time, right?

_Not before marriage._

But the way Kaoru had described it was so hurtful. _"How is it not any of my concern that you're breeding a dirty bitch?"_

That remark alone almost brought Hikaru to tears. Didn't his brother know him better than that? Hikaru was only trying to show his love for Camille. To be so close to someone, to share something so intimate with someone, it wasn't for personal gain. Hikaru didn't do it out of lust or for the pleasure, okay, maybe a bit for the pleasure, but that wasn't the only reason. He felt he truly wanted this with Camille. Why was it so bad to share love with the person who meant the most to you?

_What about Kaoru?_

And his mind froze. There were no battles, just Kaoru.

_Kaoru means a great deal to you, probably more than Camille._

It was so obvious.

_So does that mean you could share love with him too?_

And Hikaru's mind shut down.

_Wait…_

His face turned bright red the moment the thought entered his head.

_I love Kaoru but…oh my God._

"I think I'm going crazy," he stated, his breathing unnaturally heavy. He kept walking, ignoring the weird looks he received from other students.

_But if you love him so much, why did you hurt him?_

He honestly had no answer. Never in a million years did he think he would punch his brother, and now it was tearing him apart from the inside out. It was gnawing at him. It was _killing _him. He had a sudden desire to pull Kaoru into a fierce hug and whisper how sorry he was. He wanted to kiss where his fist made such rough contact and make it all better, just like they did when they were younger.

He never wanted to hurt him again. Smirking to himself, he quickly added in his head that that's why he would never do _that _with Kaoru. It was unnatural for brothers. _Duh. _And it would probably hurt like hell. Even Camille cried the first time they consummated their love.

_So you still hurt Camille._

He would never win this argument. "Shut the hell up!" he cried, his face turned to the ceiling. He blushed again when he realized _everyone _was gaping at him. "Excuse me," he mumbled before taking off down the hallway.

* * *

><p>As much as Hikaru wanted to apologize, Kaoru didn't show up the rest of the day. He didn't even make an appearance when the limousine arrived to take the twins home. Hikaru frowned, desperately hoping Kaoru didn't walk home. It looked like it was about to rain. The clouds that formed in the sky were silver and angry, growing darker by the minute.<p>

As he predicted, rain started pouring down a mere five minutes after he left Ouran. He allowed himself to forget about Kaoru for the time being, seeing as it was only depressing him. Instead he thought of Camille and what she had planned for the two of them that night. He hoped he could make it. But in order for that to happen, he needed the rain to stop, and it was coming down heavy at the moment.

Hikaru's phone suddenly buzzed, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, assuming it was Kaoru. It wasn't. It was a text from Camille.

"_**Through rain or shine, you'll still be mine. :) "**_

So she wanted him to come anyways. Well, that was it then. He couldn't refuse her. For his sake though, he really hoped the weather calmed down.

He sat in Kaoru's bedroom on the bed, texting Camille and asking if she had seen Kaoru before she left. She denied it quickly and changed the topic. Hikaru sighed in defeat and put the phone down. He didn't feel like talking. He would see her in a couple hours anyways. He just stared at the ceiling and waited. Suddenly he could hear the creaking of the bedroom door opening, and instantly looked up. He gasped as his worst fears were set out before him. Kaoru stood in the doorway, anguish written all across his face, his clothes and hair dripping wet. To make matters worse, he looked like he was crying. Hikaru flinched at the sight of his cheek. It was bright red, and looked like it was bruising pretty badly.

"K-Kaoru," Hikaru stuttered, standing and walking slowly toward the pitiful sight of his brother. Kaoru merely sniffled before whispering,

"I'm sorry."

Hikaru couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed Kaoru's arm and forced him into a tight hug. As Kaoru cried into Hikaru's shoulder, Hikaru found himself cupping Kaoru's face and stroking the bruise with his thumb.

"You idiot," Hikaru muttered. "Why did you walk home in the rain?"

"I don't know," Kaoru whined.

"Well, we better get you dry before mom sees you like this. She'll have my head for leaving you." And so Hikaru pulled Kaoru to his feet and led him on, an arm wrapped loosely around his shoulder.

A couple hours later Hikaru and Kaoru decided to just sit in silence. They even skipped dinner. Kaoru sat on the bed while Hikaru continued to look out the window. It was getting darker now, so he couldn't really see the rain anymore aside from the little drops on the window. From what he could see the clouds were clearing up just a bit.

Hikaru glanced over at Kaoru. A maid brought him a bag of ice to put on his bruised cheek. Despite having apologized excessively for hurting him, Hikaru noted that Kaoru still looked so…_miserable._ And what was worse, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"Kaoru," he swallowed. "I have to leave. Will you be alright?"

Kaoru instantly looked up, surprise replacing the misery on his face.

"Where are you going?"

"To Camille's. I told you remember?"

It obviously wasn't what Kaoru wanted to hear. Annoyance flashed across his face and he heaved a sigh.

"Fine. Do whatever you want."

"I am," Hikaru retorted in a very dry tone. "What else would you like me to do?"  
>"Dump her."<p>

Hikaru was speechless. Never in a million years did he think Kaoru would be so…well, forward. He made his intentions pretty clear. He did not want Hikaru to be happy with his girlfriend, and it pissed Hikaru off to no end.

"Why?" was all he could respond with.

"She's just using you. I don't like seeing someone use my brother."

"And how do you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious? All you do is have sex." Hikaru opened his mouth to make another quick retort, but Kaoru beat him. "And don't deny it. I can see it in your face when you talk about her."

That shut Hikaru up, enough to where he was shivering with anger.

_Why does he always feel the need to piss me off?_

Kaoru looked away as Hikaru brushed past him and opened the bedroom door.

"You don't know anything," he whispered with malice. "You're just an idiot, Kaoru!" Two tears of frustration ran down his face. That was just perfect; now Kaoru had him crying too. He calmed himself down a bit before making one final comment. "Just…just screw you, Kaoru."

Then he slammed the door behind him, leaving Kaoru alone with his tortured regret.

* * *

><p>The limousine pulled up to Camille's mansion faster than Hikaru could collect his thoughts. He blinked a couple times when the driver announced his arrival before stepping out hesitantly. The walk leading up to her door was still wet with all the rain, and it was still so cold. Hikaru wished he had brought a jacket. He wasn't even going to think of Kaoru, even though that was probably why he was shivering. He was pissed, and he wasn't going to let Kaoru bring down the rest of his night.<p>

When he stepped up to the gate, he took a moment to push the button on the gate control and announce his presence. The gates opened automatically for his and he continued on to the door.

"I'm so glad you're here," Camille giggled, pulling Hikaru into her bedroom and locking the door. "Daddy doesn't approve, but I don't give a shit!" Hikaru flinched. He hated it when she cussed. It left him disoriented. "Now," she continued, bringing his face closer. "Are you ready for tonight?" She pulled his entire body closer so that he had her pinned against the door. Her hand reached behind her to switch off the lights, so the two were engulfed in complete darkness. It was just how Hikaru liked it.

Camille tugged him to her bed as she devoured his mouth, and sat down, bring him down with her. He ended up on top of her and they continued their kissing, stripping each other of their clothes as they went on. "Oh," she purred, "you really are feisty tonight. Did something piss you off, darling?" She teased him with the word because she knew he hated it with a passion. But that's all she wanted from him: passion. And so, she toyed with him to get it. And boy, did it ever get a reaction; he immediately went for her neck and bit down, growling a tad as he did so.

It wasn't a few minutes later that both of them were caressing each other, completely nude and loving every second of it.

"Do it," she whispered, reclaiming his mouth for her own.

And Hikaru let out a steady moan as he entered her. The pleasure was overwhelming.

_Of course, it's all for love, isn't it?_

* * *

><p><strong>Now, I bet you hate Camille even more. XD I'm so evil like that. <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter's rather short, but the next one will probably be longer so don't worry. :)**

**Warning: this chapter may make you cry...maybe.**

Three days slowly drifted by, and Hikaru figured it was time to apologize to Kaoru. He never got the chance. Camille dragged him off on another date.

Three more days crawled past, and Hikaru marked it on his calendar to make things up with his younger brother, but once again, something got in the way. It wasn't Camille that time, just him being too stubborn to take the first step. He was still – hurt. He wanted Kaoru to trust him, and one way Kaoru could prove to him that he did in fact trust him was to make the first move. But it soon became obvious that Kaoru wasn't going to. It wasn't his pride, Hikaru could tell. He was nervous.

Perhaps he felt so guilty that he wanted to punish himself. He hadn't even ridden home in the limo very often. Some days they shared a quiet ride together. It was always awkward, but at least it gave them a chance to spend _some _time together. The days he walked home he was lucky enough that it didn't rain. Hikaru was glad. He didn't want to see his brother that way ever again. It was too painful.

Yet again, another couple days went by, Hikaru had lost count, and they still weren't talking. They never ate dinner together. They never greeted each other in the morning. Honestly, it was an all-out feud between the two, both too stubborn to end it.

But Camille usually made it better. Sometimes she buttered Hikaru up so well that he forgot all about Kaoru. He enjoyed those moments, for they were always stress free.

It was a lovely day outside on Friday afternoon. Hikaru stretched in the warm sunlight as he walked through the doors of Ouran Academy, the other host club members following behind. Tamaki came up behind him and tapped him gleefully on the shoulder.

"We're going out for sushi this evening. You're joining us, correct?"

"Nah," Hikaru decided, waving his hands. "I'd just like to relax without any drama."

"Drama?" Tamaki seemed insulted. "Hmph, fine! We'll see you Monday then." And so the boss led the group away. Hikaru waved goodbye to Haruhi before examining the parking lot. Most everyone had already went home, and it seemed that Hikaru was the only one left.

_Good. Peace and quiet._

He made himself comfortable on a bench and leaned his head against the brick wall. Where was Camille? The two of them always made plans to meet on that bench. Hikaru guessed in his head that she already left, but it seemed unlike her to do so.

As if she was reading his mind, Camille revealed herself to have been hiding around the corner of the wall. She giggled and concealed herself once more, but Hikaru could still make out her golden curls peeking out from behind.

"Come here," he sighed with a contented smile.

"You saw me?" she chirped in surprise.

"You were pretty obvious."

"Oh."

It was unnaturally silent as they sat together on the bench. Actually, Hikaru thought the air between them felt kind of heavy. He didn't know why, though. They hadn't fought. Camille didn't seem to act like anything was wrong but…then again. Hikaru let his eyes drift downward to where her head was buried in his shoulder. Her eyes stared blankly into his jacket, unfocused. She blinked, and he thought he saw a glint of some strange emotion pass in her silver eyes.

_Hmmm..silver?_

Hikaru had never paid any attention to their color before. It reminded him of storm clouds, oddly enough.

"There's your ride," Camille noted when the onyx limousine pulled around the corner.

"Huh?"

Camille pointed to where it pulled in front of the school, in the exact same place that it always was. However, he had made it clear to the driver that he wanted to spend time with Camille that afternoon. He spent a good five minutes explaining that he had already found a ride early that morning. It could've been for Kaoru, but he was pretty sure Kaoru had already started home.

"I'll take care of this," he murmured to Camille. He strolled over to the limo and knocked on the passenger window. It immediately rolled down and Hikaru was faced with the driver who looked oddly concerned.

"I'm sorry, Master Hikaru, but I've been given orders to see you home immediately."

"What's going on?" Hikaru asked with one eyebrow raised in suspicion. Soon Camille was no longer on the bench, but right next to him with a delicate hand on his back.

"Your family have been receiving threats over the phone all day today. I've been instructed to retrieve both you and Master Kaoru for your own safety."

Hikaru was dumbfounded.

_Threats? What kind of threats are they talking about?_

"But – Kaoru already left. He walked home today."

The driver's forehead creased, and he took a moment to think before replying, "Fine, we'll find him on the way. Please get in Master Hikaru."

Hikaru sighed and turned to Camille. She looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry." He cupped her chin and pecked her lips lightly. "I'll see you later, kay?"

"Okay," she whispered before stepping away from the vehicle.

Hikaru nodded and got in before closing the door behind him.

_This is going to be a very long ride._

In actuality, it wasn't that long, not really. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Kaoru. Hikaru brushed it aside. He was probably hiding. Maybe it was for the best. He didn't think he could deal with Kaoru's emotional turmoil at the moment.

Hikaru sat in his room under house arrest. His parents were home, and security was keeping watch of every gate and every door. They even brought the Dobermans out.

_Is it really that serious?_

Hikaru discovered that even Kyoya was involved. The fellow host was in his dining room with his parents, probably typing on his laptop, like always. He would've gone downstairs, but he didn't feel like listening to his parents worry nor that annoying _click click click _of Kyoya's keyboard. Apparently that wasn't his decision to make. His parents and Kyoya stepped into his room in the middle of him daydreaming about Camille – without knocking of course.

"We have some news for you, Hikaru." Kyoya stated in an indifferent voice that almost matched Hikaru's, except with a more intelligent sort of tone to it.

"We figured out that the threats came from the same people who wanted us to donate money," his mother began.

"Good," Hikaru shrugged, reclining back on his bed. "Send security out to find them and," he trailed off, "I don't know, sue them or something. Just take care of this so I can get back to Camille," Hikaru grumbled. Why were they telling him all of the information when they could easily spend that time using it to end whatever trouble there was? It really made no sense.

"What?" Hikaru asked when his parents only stared at him more intently.

"Your brother isn't back yet," his father explained.

"You see," Kyoya tried to explain, "those threats were completely random, and could easily translate into anything. These people, whoever they are, will do whatever is necessary at a moment in time to get what they desire."

"You told the driver that your brother walked home, right?"

"Yes," he confirmed to his mother. Hikaru's parents shared another worried glance before it all started to sink in to him. "Wait," he yelped. "You aren't saying they could've done something to Kaoru, are you?" His voice was very soft and very slow. He waited there for what seemed like forever for his parents to deny it. They didn't.

"Unfortunately, that's something we cannot answer yet," Kyoya intervened. "Kaoru is still missing."

"Missing?" Hikaru imagined he was only hiding. It never once crossed his mind that Kaoru could be defined as _missing._ "So what do we do?" he raised his voice impatiently. Panic was beginning to sink in.

"As of right now, nothing."

Hikaru no longer cared if he wasn't supposed to hurt his brother; he was going to give him the biggest slap in the face for what Kaoru was putting him through at the moment. He would slap him right on the damn bruise too! If it taught him a lesson, it was worth it.

The distressed teen buried his face in his pillow for the longest time and simply groaned into it. He felt so useless. He wanted to sneak out and find Kaoru himself. The guards would probably shoot him with a tranquilizer dart before he could even reach the gate. So he scrapped that idea and remained hopeful. He actually started playing the scene over and over in his head of his future _talk _with Kaoru.

"_You bastard! You idiot! Don't you ever play this game again or I will make you blue with my fists! Then everyone will be able to tell us apart!"_

He laughed to himself when he realized he probably wouldn't go through with it anyways. Hitting Kaoru once was bad enough.

* * *

><p>Hikaru wiped a string of drool off his chin when he felt someone gently shake him awake. He didn't realize he had fell asleep. He looked up to see Kyoya – who looked very solemn. It immediately sent spikes through Hikaru's chest.<p>

"What's wrong?" he demanded, his eyes growing wide. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kyoya cleared his throat and spoke very softly, no hint of indifference anywhere in his tone. "The men called back. They want at least sixty-three million yen in return for Kaoru."

Hikaru felt his heart stop beating momentarily. He tried to stand, tried to grab onto Kyoya, tried to beg him to say it wasn't true, but his legs couldn't hold him. Clawing at the floor without reason, Hikaru bit his lip hard enough to reveal the blood underneath.

His weeping didn't cease. He didn't want it to stop. He wanted everything else to stop. He wanted everyone around him to just leave him be.

But most of all, he wanted Kaoru – alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Daww noo! D: Kaoru's been kidnapped. Are you crying yet? I am. :'( My poor wittle Kaoru.<strong>

**Anyways, the next chapter will be longer, as I mentioned before. And it was also be drama city! DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA! You're gonna love it!**

**See you guys on the next chapter! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hmmm...well, idk what you'll think of this chapter. I guess that's for you to decide.**

"What will you do now?"

That voice was so carefree, so airy, it left a begrudging sting on Hikaru's heart – if he still had one. Camille had presented the question to him in somewhat of a chime of her tongue, a slip of words, a breathy question to which she truly desired no answer. It was in his misfortune that he only realized it then. Even so, his tongue remained still as she breathed against him in such a lulling manner. It seemed highly inappropriate for the situation. In fact, it made Hikaru's blood nearly boil.

When he refused to answer, Camille sighed in disquietude. She released her arms from their stern grip around his neck, and attempted to force his body to move, attempted to make him face her. He hissed in refusal knocked her arm away from him. She blinked back tears of utter frustration, something that was becoming quite common for anyone remotely near Hikaru. Her hands clutched the bench and squeezed, meanwhile her teeth grinded together and she tried to maintain her self control. She lost the attempt.

"Why are you pushing me away?" she howled. Hikaru almost felt the need to cover his ears. She was so painfully _loud. _"I hate this!" she screeched. "I hate Kaoru for doing this to us, the bastard!" Hikaru glared at her sharply, yet refused to say anything. After all, it wasn't only her fault. He also shared the blame.

"I said 'screw him'. Those were my last words to him. I may never be able to take them back." Hikaru's eyes were extremely hazy, as if his mind had pulled him into a flashback. They were so glassy, and tears brimmed the edges, and his breathing steadied, and it looked from Camille's point of view that he was about to fall asleep on her. He already appeared to be dreaming.

"Well, now you won't have to," she bitched. "Whoever kidnapped him can do it for you!"

"Ack! You whore!" Hikaru blew up. "What gives you the right to talk about my brother that way? Who the hell do you think you are to use me for sex while pretending you actually care about me just to throw my misery and my pain – and my mistakes – all in my face? You don't have that right! You can't force me to stay with you any longer! I won't! I won't deal with your shit anymore! From now on you can screw someone else, 'cause I'm finding Kaoru with or without you!"

Hikaru made a dash for it, ignoring the constant wailing of the horn of the limousine. That damn driver had been watching him like a hawk, but he didn't care. It didn't matter. He didn't want to be safe without Kaoru. They were twins; and they would do everything together. He would make it up to Kaoru; he needed to. Affliction for everything he had told Kaoru when he last spoke to him poisoned his heart. It filled him with grief. And as he was running, no longer sure of where he was, Hikaru collapsed and sobbed.

"I-I c-can't go home n-now." he decided between sobs.

_Then don't go home._

He stared blankly at his hands for the longest time, kneeled in the middle of some type of alley. Ignoring the wet warmth that slid down his cheeks, Hikaru dug into his pocket for his cell, and once he had the tiny plastic phone in his hand, he dialed the only person he trusted to help.

_Ring…ring…ring… _"Hikaru?"

"Boss," Hikaru sighed. "I need your help."

_-silence-_

"Boss?" Hikaru huffed, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"Oh thank goodness you've come to your senses, Hikaru!" Tamaki's voice was a little too ecstatic for Hikaru's liking. For a moment, he considered hanging up.

"You want us to help you find him don't you? Yes! It's exactly like a secret mission, oh, the others will be so thrilled!"

"Yeah, yeah," Hikaru mumbled, trying to hush Tamaki's convulsions. "Can you pick me up? I'm not going back home because they'll lock me up for good, but I'm not sure where I am." His eyes scanned the alley, but all that adjourned the walls were piles of trash and rats, familiar to a commoner's alley.

"Kyoya has a tracker on you, we'll be there soon enough!"

And that's when Tamaki hung up. Hikaru briefly wondered why Kaoru didn't have a tracker as well, but it occurred to him soon enough that they had always been together when Kyoya had the tracker made. They only needed one. Hikaru was used to holding it, but now he desperately wished he would have given it to Kaoru instead.

_When I find him, I swear he'll never leave my sight again!_

"Alright gang," Tamaki pressed his index finger to his temple and rubbed it spasmodically, "our faithful companion has been stolen under our very noses, torn from beneath us!" Hikaru rolled his eyes at Tamaki's romantic phrasing.

At least he was willing to help though, but that should have been obvious from the beginning. Hikaru knew that Kaoru meant something to everyone in the club. He knew he could trust each of these individuals to do everything in their power to get his brother back. Unfortunately, the lack of movement made him snappish and fidgety. As of right now they were simply gathering evidence from what little they knew, crammed in Haruhi's tiny apartment. Neither of Hikaru's parents would think to search for him there. Of course, it was Tamaki's idea, much to Haruhi's annoyance.

"We'll find the guys who took Kao-Chan and kick their tushies! Right Takashi?" growled Honey-Senpai.

"Yeah," Mori-Senpai confirmed.

Hikaru sighed and rested his chin on his hand, his eyes scanning the room impatiently. "Then why are we just sitting here? Can't we just go find him?"  
>"Hikaru," Haruhi murmured, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I know you want to be reunited with him, but it's probably in Kaoru's best interest if we acquire some more information first."<p>

Hikaru stared at her, a somber expression strewn across his face. He nodded gently, and she released his shoulder.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki barked, "What else have you found out?"

"That our criminals are idiots."

-silence-

"What do you mean?"

"Tracing the phone calls back to their original source has proved that the exact same payphone was used for each call. It's located in Downtown Karuizawa, a fairly odd place to hold a hostage. This information shows that Kaoru's captors are fairly new at the kidnapping game. If they really wanted to keep us off their trail they would keep their movements unpredictable in a much less recognizable neighborhood."

"Recognizable?" Haruhi interjected.

"I mean it in the sense that Karuizawa is too friendly, including the downtown section. In any other city it would be easy to disguise a crime like this since crime is everywhere, especially when there are so many variations of people around who have never seen each other nor spoken to one another. On the contrary, Karuizawa is familiar to everyone who lives there. It can't even be defined as a city so much as a community."

_So what my father said was right; they are novices._

Hikaru instantly brightened, feeling his hope come alive for the first time since he was told the tragic news.

"Then we still have a chance!" The others felt a wave of relief wash over them when Hikaru smiled for the first time in two days. "If they're pushovers it'll be so much easier, right?" His momentary excitement was suffocated under a mass of doubt when Kyoya spoke again.

"Not necessarily. These people might be stupid, but they managed to kidnap Kaoru. Knowing him, he would've tried any possible means of escaping, unless," Kyoya glanced at Hikaru, "he was too depressed to fight back. Either way, their inexperience is not for our benefit. In fact, it will only make things harder. These people must be pretty desperate if they're willing to start so much trouble without a decent plan or means of keeping themselves hidden. That means they'll be all the more willing to kill an innocent teen if we make a wrong move."

And that's when Hikaru's heart sunk – again. He felt sick; just the very thought of some – some cruel bastard touching his brother made his pulse accelerate in unease. The thought that his brother could die at the hands of the same bastard was almost too much to bear. That's when he decided: he _would _find these people and he _would _destroy them, no matter the cost. It was irrefutable.

Hikaru was shaken out of his daze when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out with a heavy sigh, expecting it to be his parents or someone looking for him. It was Camille again. He didn't read the text message, he didn't want to, he didn't want anything to do with that witch ever again. Instead, he handed it over to Tamaki to read for him.

The boss examined the text message silently before reporting, "She's upset. She has something that she really needs to tell you. And," he read some more, "it sounds urgent. I would suggest you see what she wants."

Hikaru snatched his phone back and glared at the screen.

"_**Please, meet me at our usual bench."**_

He would be a man and get it over with, but he couldn't guarantee that he would survive in the process.

"We can drive you there," Honey offered. "We'll wait for you and everything, and then we can come back here and plan some more, kay?"

Hikaru smiled and hugged Honey lightly. It was a first, but it felt good to feel sympathy for once.

* * *

><p>"I won't be long," Hikaru told the others as he stepped out of Tamaki's white limousine. He was so used to riding in black limousines, the color kind of through him off. Who would want to stand out that much? And then he remembered, it was Tamaki.<p>

Camille was waiting at the bench, just like she promised, pacing back and forth until she saw Hikaru. She stopped. Hikaru almost expected her to come bounding into his arms, but she remained where she was. He was surprised to see a look of pure dread on her face.

"So what do you want?" Hikaru made sure he was standing at least ten feet away. His voice was cold and hostile.

"I'm not asking you to come back to me, not after what I said, but…" and she started crying. Hikaru rolled his eyes. Camille continued her theatrical sobbing, but soon realized that she wasn't about to receive any comfort. She dried her eyes with a sad sigh. "We need to talk."  
>"Talk."<p>

"Why me?"  
>"What is there for me to say? You asked me to come here to talk to you, so spit it out!"<br>She flinched and stepped farther away from him. "I can't."

Hikaru started to fizzle at the brain before he waved her off and headed back to the limo.

_This is a waste of time._

"Wait!" she called to him, grief-stricken.

"You lost your chance, Camille. Just leave me alone." He kept walking.

Camille began to panic. She wanted to tell him the news in the right way, but so it appeared the right way would never arrive. She would never get her happy ending, not like this. Tears leaking down her eyes, frustration bubbling in the pit of her stomach, Camille screamed,

"Hikaru, damn you! I'm pregnant!"

A part of Hikaru's soul died that day, or at least, that's what it felt like to him.

_No, no, oh God no!_

"Yeah, that's right," Camille mocked him. "You knocked me up, you sick bastard. I hope you're happy now. Now you can't go find your brother! Now you have to stay here with me," she cackled. That was the point when Hikaru realized she had lost her mind.

"I don't have to do anything you tell me to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my brother."

He had masked his pain extremely well. If he hadn't managed to, Hikaru was sure he would have broken down permanently. It was all too much to bear, and the worst part was still lingering in his mind. He felt sorry for Camille. Even though she was a selfish bitch, he still loved her for some odd reason. Perhaps it was hormones. Yet again, she was not the most important person to him, nor was the baby, the other palm that held his guilt.

And so, Hikaru silently apologized to both Camille and his unborn child before driving away with the others.

* * *

><p><strong>To be honest, I don't really care for this chapter. It seems like it should be so long and drama-packed. But it feels so...anti-climactic. Well, it isn't the climax of the story so, I guess it'll do for now. ^^<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I'm taking awhile getting the next chapter. I thought that in between chapters I would add these little oneshots of the twins from when they were growing up...so here's the first. :)**

There were some memories that neither Hikaru nor Kaoru could escape, not that they would ever want to.

"_Hika," Kaoru wheezed, bringing his fist to his mouth and coughing sickly into it. Hikaru dropped his toothbrush instantly and ran from the bathroom, leaving a mess of foamy toothpaste all across his face. He stumbled to his brother's bedside, tripping on his pajama pants as he went. When they were finally in touching distance, Hikaru placed a tiny hand on Kaoru's forehead, only to pull it back with a squeal. Little tears filled his eyes. His baby brother was sick._

"_Mama!" Hikaru screamed at the top of his lungs. "Mama, Kaoru's sick! He's gonna die!" Hikaru sobbed insanely obnoxiously as his mother scurried in with two maids behind her. She kneeled next to Kaoru's quiet form and placed a hand on his forehead, frowning as she did so. Next she lifted his chin and inspected his throat. Meanwhile Hikaru never took his eyes off of Kaoru, tears still running down his face like little raindrops._

"_You're right, he's definitely sick. What should we do about that, Hikaru?" _

"_Take him to the horsepitol! He's gonna die if we don't!" he squealed anxiously._

"_It's called a hospital, dear, and I don't think Kaoru's ready to die just yet." She smiled fondly at the two. When one was sick the other refused to calm down until both were perfectly healthy. It was part of their bond, one their parents had always been gracious for. It made things so much easier, strangely enough. Mrs. Hitachiin never had to worry about fighting or anything like that, much to her approval._

"_Kaoru, don't die yet," Hikaru demanded, snuggling closer to his twin._

"_I won't, Hika," Kaoru whispered, his voice scratchy. Kaoru smiled as he felt Hikaru grab his hand from under the covers._

"_Well, it looks like you have nothing to worry about. Now, come on Hikaru, finish getting ready for school."_

_A look of pure horror flashed across Hikaru's face._

"_Is_ Kaoru_ going?"_

"_Of course not dear."_

_Another look of pure horror._

"_Then I'm not going," Hikaru pouted._

"_But dear, the maids will take care of Kaoru. You'll see, he'll be right here when you get back."_

"_But Kaoru needs love," Hikaru stated, stroking Kaoru's hair in adoration. "I love him more than they do!"_

"_Good, but I don't want you getting sick. And you shouldn't miss school." Mrs. Hitachiin tried to reason with her son, her eyebrows creased in worry. Her sons didn't need to miss school, and she certainly didn't need both of them sick._

"_He won't make me sick." And with that, Hikaru pecked Kaoru right on the nose. He looked back up at their mother with a huge grin on his face. "See?"_

_Mrs. Hitachiin only sighed and waved them on, turning to leave the room. _

"_Alright Hikaru, you can stay home with your brother. But, and I do mean it, this is the first and last time, do you hear me?"_

"_Yes mama," both twins answered in unison. _

_She was partially correct. It was the first, but definitely not the last time._

* * *

><p><strong>Short, I know, but I hope it has made up for some of the time lost - and the crappyness of previous chapters. I'll try harder guys, I really will. Anyways, next chapter goes back to Kaoru. :)<strong>

**-Ookamii**


	7. Chapter 7

**Awesome, I finally got the next chapter out to ya'll. :) I'm so proud of myself! Anyways, I've been really busy with school and such because it's the end of the first semester of my junior year - the most difficult year, in my opinion. **

**A word to the wise, do not take Chem 2 AP. Do not take it! I'm barely surviving with an 88 that I need to get back up to a 90 by Semester Finals in order to keep my average.**

**No pressure. -_-'''**

**I will not lose my 4.0! D: I REFUSE!**

**-freak-out session ended-**

**Anyways, we finally get to see Kaoru again, which is good. I wuv my wittle Kaoru. 333333**

**Hope you enjoy. ;)**

Kaoru felt a heavy ache in his chest when he finally regained consciousness. He groaned, refusing to open his eyes just in case he wasn't at home in bed – the place he most desperately wished he was. But the surface underneath him in no way resembled the texture of his comforter, and so Kaoru bit his lower lip and faced the music. He was definitely not home any longer.

Where had he been when this nightmare began? He thought he recalled walking home and – yes, he remembered seeing the estate down the block. Then a van pulled up and next thing he knew, Kaoru was being jumped by two men and a woman. At least, he thought she was a woman. Her hands seemed rather dainty pulling him into the back of the van, yet they remained firm as he kicked and screamed berzerkly. No one answered his screams. No one came, not even Hikaru.

_Hikaru hates me. He and Camille must be so relieved now that I'm out of the picture._

Kaoru couldn't help the terrible thoughts that infested his mind. However, he knew that Hikaru's hate for him was in no way his biggest problem at the time. He would most likely be killed if he didn't unravel the strings to this kidnapping little by little, forgetting Hikaru in the process – hopefully. So inhaling deeply, then exhaling, Kaoru opened his eyes and blinked. There was a lot of natural light; pools of it fell on him from a row of broken out windows on a large concrete wall. The floor was also concrete and littered with corpses of birds and rats, trash gathering in some places. A few boxes and pieces of machinery could also be seen from where Kaoru lay, realizing at the moment that his hands and feet were tied with cords. Perhaps this was an old factory of some sorts. That would explain where they got the chords – not to mention the littering of boxes and metal.

It was very quiet, and Kaoru liked it that way. It gave him time to think and adjust to his surroundings. He listened, still twisted uncomfortably on the ground. Birds were chirping, traffic was moving, but the building sat still – abandoned. Was he alone?

_If I can undo these cords...I can run, but where?_

Anywhere would be fine with him. There were people out there who could help him find his way back home. He would need all the help he could receive – he had no idea where he was. Furrowing his brows in concentration, Kaoru fumbled with his wrists, trying to pull his thin wrists out from the thick bonds. They stung and seemed to embed themselves deeper into his flesh, but he kept trying. He almost got loose when he heard footsteps echoing through the building. They were singular, lady-like, and very foreboding. Kaoru cursed under his breath and pretended to be unconscious again, not wanting to face whatever danger awaited him yet.

_It could just be a civilian! Maybe…maybe she'll help me. Maybe this nightmare's finally over._

He was mistaken.

Whoever it was kicked him in the stomach, causing him to gasp for breath. He curled up into a ball and let a few tears slide down his cheeks.

_You're showing weakness to your attacker, idiot!_

"I knew you were awake." It was a woman, just like he thought. "So which one are you, Hikaru or Kaoru?"

Kaoru wasn't surprised. His family was aristocracy; many people knew their names.

"Kao," he croaked, flinching at how dead of a croak it was. He sounded terrible. He was about to ask the woman for help when he felt a hand bring his chin up gently. His eyes stared straight into the silver eyes of the woman – the silver eyes that were so strangely familiar to him. They seemed to haunt him.

"I'll try to make this as easy as possible for you," her voice echoed solemnly, gravely. "I've already stolen from you once; I don't wish to steal your life."

It came to Kaoru slowly, but it still came even so. The woman kneeling in front of him, with her familiar silver eyes and slimy voice, was the very maid that had disappeared into the night all those years ago: the only person Kaoru and Hikaru had ever liked.

"I thought you'd recognize me," her eyes smiled.

"Suzume!" a man's voice called as Kaoru heard loud footsteps run toward them. That was strange. He hadn't heard anyone else enter. "What're you doing?" The man's voice was gruff and interrogating, and made Kaoru shiver for some reason. No, he couldn't give in, he needed to be brave.

"This one's Kaoru," Suzume explained indifferently, ignoring the man's question altogether.

"Don't talk to him," he snapped, pushing Suzume roughly to the side. Kaoru thought he heard another pair of footsteps approaching. "Heh, you're a pretty one, aren't ya?" the man jeered, getting into Kaoru's face. Kaoru held his breath; the smell of cigarettes was overwhelming.

"He is indeed, Takeo. We should fix that."

Next thing Kaoru knew, a very dirty shoe was in his face, forcing it deeper into the concrete. Low chuckles pounded in his ears as he groaned in discomfort, the concrete leaving tiny scratches all along his face. He did not, however, hear Suzume chuckling. Perhaps she wasn't entirely affiliated with these men. Perhaps she could help him. God knows, he needed all the help he could get at this point. She was his only chance.

"Come on, Takeo. Let's not damage the merchandise," Suzume finally spoke out, hesitantly placing a hand on Takeo's shoulder. "We can't kill him yet."

"Shut up," Takeo growled, releasing himself from her grasp. "I know what I'm doing. This kid is gonna get us everything we need, just like I promised ya'. You can count on me, _little sister._"

Kaoru gasped as all his hopes were crushed in that instant; they were related, and that meant she wouldn't betray him no matter how sorry she felt for Kaoru. Downtrodden, Kaoru let his head fall lifelessly against the floor.

_Hikaru…_

* * *

><p>"This is the payphone they used?" Hikaru examined the surrounding area frantically, as if the culprits were to reveal themselves that easily to him; sadly, he was quite mistaken. Kyoya nodded, reading from the same damn clipboard he had been reading from the previous morning and most of the afternoon. He wouldn't put the thing down, and it made Hikaru more impatient by the second.<p>

"Well men, we'd best get looking! Haruhi and I will head that way," Tamaki pointed enthusiastically down a crowded street to their left. "Honey and Mori, both of you take the opposite direction." The two nodded before running off. Tamaki's voice softened when he turned to Hikaru. "Hikaru, you can go with Kyoya."

The anxious twin did nothing more than nod and mumble incoherently before taking off in a steady jog. Kyoya and Tamaki shared a glance before parting, Kyoya following slowly after Hikaru.

Hikaru didn't know exactly where he was heading. He wasn't familiar with this part of Karuizawa, nor did he have a plan to track down his brother's kidnappers. He was lost – in more ways than one. Still, he went on, running through the streets, giving Kyoya a hell of a time trying to keep up. He didn't bother asking anyone if they had seen anyone who looked like him; they would assume it was a joke. Eventually he stopped at a crowded corner, completely out of breath.

_Inhale….exhale…inhale…exhale…_

Upon catching his breath and looking up, he realized he had stopped next to a coffee shop. He pressed his nose to the glass, seeing a delicious spread of pastries. His stomach growled, and the smell of coffee came wafting out of the open doors as customers entered and exited with pleased smiles on their faces. He was so distracted by his own hunger he didn't even realize Kyoya was standing next to him. Surprisingly, he wasn't out of breath. He continued to scribble on his clipboard, looking up occasionally.

"You know, if you want to take a break Kaoru wouldn't blame you. Your stomach seems to have no problem with it."

Hikaru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. This wasn't the time to take any breaks, he needed to continue to look for Kaoru. However, as soon as he opened his mouth to protest, another loud growl sounded – making it obvious that he needed a break. "Fine," he replied tartly before stepping through the door.

Kyoya made an effort to keep Hikaru relaxed, though it didn't do much good on either of their behalfs. He had no appetite, so he sat quietly across from Hikaru at a small table, observing his companion inhale three small cakes of whatever flavor, then wash them down with a mocha cappuccino. As soon as Hikaru finished, he wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin and rose from his seat rather quickly. Kyoya reached across the table to grab his sleeve and pull him gently back down. When answered with that familiar eyebrow, Kyoya casually replied, "Give yourself time to digest. We don't want you throwing up during the search."

Hikaru sighed, but nodded with understanding. It was unbearably quiet after that, so much that Hikaru longed to start a conversation. Normally he would simply get lost in his thoughts and ignore any company altogether, but his thoughts hurt too much, and so he desperately needed to get away from them. Kyoya sensed this.

"Our chances might not look good, but that doesn't give you a right to hurt yourself like this."

"What do you know about it? It isn't your sibling that's in danger, and even if it was, you probably wouldn't notice. You and your brothers don't share a bond like Kaoru and I do," he replied with venom clear in his tone.

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "You don't know me Hikaru, just as I don't know you, so I don't expect you to truly understand what I – what we all – are going through at the moment. You're letting your emotions get the best of you."

Hikaru snapped.

"Why does it matter what the hell any of you are going through? This is _my _problem, and _I _am suffering." Hikaru looked dangerously close to tears, and yet extremely aggressive. Kyoya almost thought he would strike at him, and made a point by moving his chair back slightly. "I don't give a damn about hurting myself, because if I don't have Kaoru I'm dead anyways. What's the difference? There is none. I'm dead now. I can't get his face out of my mind, because I always see it! It's always there – in the mirror – in glass windows – everywhere!" At that point he was sobbing hysterically. All eyes in the coffee shop were uneasily turned to Hikaru and Kyoya.

Kyoya, not fond of being the center of attention, threw some cash on the table, grabbed Hikaru by the arm, and pulled him out of the shop. He pinned him against the wall outside and slapped him, shocking all the onlookers – including Hikaru.

"Shut up! Stop – just stop this, right now. What's crying going to solve? Don't you think we're all scared? Don't you think we are just as stressed as you are? Kaoru is _our _friend too. We are just as desperate to get him back as you are – so stop being such a selfish bastard. Stop deflecting your pain on the rest of us! We have enough of it to last."

Hikaru remained glued to the wall, frozen, even when Kyoya let go and turned away from him to adjust his collar. "Let's continue," Kyoya suggested in his normal tone. Hikaru only shivered and nodded once, following behind Kyoya like a lost puppy.

* * *

><p>Kaoru didn't struggle as Takeo and the other man roughly tossed him into the back of the same white van that brought him there. He landed on the plastic floor with a thud before the doors slammed behind him. It was very dark and chilling, the only light source coming from a small window above Kaoru's head. Curtains purposely blocked most of the window so that no one could clearly see what resided in the back, yet small streams of light still managed to peek through. Kaoru groaned at the strain he felt in his neck and lowered it back into its normal position, letting his thoughts take over. Thinking took away the pain. When he thought, time moved so much faster. When he thought, he could be anywhere he wanted – even with Hikaru. His thoughts didn't last long as Suzume's voice shattered them. Kaoru didn't realize she had crawled back there with him.<p>

"There's something I need to make clear to you," she chided urgently.

"Shoot."

"Don't do anything stupid."

Even though Kaoru knew she couldn't see it, he raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth creased with a frown.

"For the sake of your brother, take heed, don't do anything stupid."

"You already have my life in the palm of your hand," Kaoru rasped with anger. "Don't threaten my brother."

"It isn't me who is the threat." Kaoru could see her eyes glance at the window. Takeo must have been on the other side of that window. He was probably the one driving.

"_W-what,"_ Kaoru refrained, _"What will he do?" _His voice was a choked whisper.

"_He has a gun," _Suzume whispered back. _"So does Kaito."_

_Kaito?_

It must have been the other man's name. Suzume explained that Kaito was the childhood friend of Takeo, and good with a gun. She explained that both of them threatened her after she had ran off with the Hitachiin's money, stealing it for themselves and forcing her to take part in their plan. Apparently they had been working on the plan for ten years. Kaoru briefly wondered why they would waste so much time on such a small, undeveloped strategy. Surely they were smarter than that. But then again, Suzume hadn't been the smartest maid either – getting caught and outsmarted by two five-year-olds. Still, Suzume's warning lingered in Kaoru's mind, and he remained afraid for the safety of his twin.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll find out," she replied sharply, clearly indicating that the conversation was over.

This definitely was not good.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, so I kinda brought back the maid. I liked her character, even though she appeared briefly. Now, I want to make one thing clear. I understand that she was portrayed as a "nanny" in the manga, and she had a bit more history with Hikaru and Kaoru because of the things she taught them - but I am only following the anime. Maybe the anime and the manga aren't so different, I don't really know. I've only memorized the anime. I haven't read very much of the manga, which is also why I'm not using any Japanese vocabulary in this. I'm going mainly by what I know, and that's English. I love Japanese - it's a beautiful language - but it's easier for me to go with the familiar at this time. I do apologize. :(<strong>

**Another thing, Camille is not gone yet. There are still some loose threads we need to repair with her. Keep that in mind.**

**-Ookamii**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yeppers, another little oneshot. Hope you enjoy. :)**

_Hikaru blamed the universe for everything. _

_When he was five he broke his grandmother's favorite vase, and when interrogated on the subject of how it came to be shattered, in the kitchen none the less, Hikaru blamed the universe. He probably could've blamed Kaoru and gotten away with it, but he didn't, and so he happily sat out his punishment with Kaoru who had offered to share the blame._

_When he was eleven he blamed the universe for Kaoru losing the spelling bee. The younger Hitachiin had studied endlessly, missing out on a ton of sleep, and had still lost. He cried as soon as he was dismissed, having lost on the word "entourage". He did not, however, cry in front of all the other contestants. He waited until he was secure in Hikaru's loving arms._

_When he was thirteen he blamed the universe for the death of his and Kaoru's cat. Poor little Momo drowned in a bath tub, it was unclear how exactly. To make up for it, Hikaru bought a stuffed animal cat that reminded both him and Kaoru of Momo. They slept with it for a couple nights before eventually throwing it in the closet. It got in the way of their cuddling._

_None of those things really seemed to matter after time had worked its magic. The vase had long since been replaced, the spelling bee forgotten, the stuffed animal thrown away, and yet, Hikaru had to blame the universe one last time._

_When the twins were fifteen, Kaoru was struck by a car. Hikaru was devastated, disoriented, broken. He felt useless as he stood there blankly, watching the men in white uniforms pack his baby brother up like some kind of postal delivery. He struggled with them to let him ride in the ambulance, but they refused, even when Hikaru tried to strike at them with a garden hoe. He demanded that the stuffy lady at the front desk tell him what room his brother was in when he finally arrived at the hospital. She reluctantly gave him the number, and he took off in a mad dash. He wasn't prepared for the site that awaited him only a quick elevator ride away._

_Kaoru was covered in bandages, three IVs sliced into his skin, and his face was contorted in pain. To make matters worse, Hikaru remembered how shallow Kaoru's breathing seemed to be. It frightened him severely. He kneeled by Kaoru's side that entire first night, his cheek resting on his twin's palm. The next morning he was excused from school, and didn't move an inch from where he kneeled. He didn't eat, he couldn't. He didn't sleep for at least fifteen hours. He never spoke a word to anyone, although one of the nurses could have sworn she heard him mumbling to Kaoru's still form._

_Hikaru was finally torn away, then forced to eat and sleep a little, before he was allowed to return. When he stepped back into the room, he sobbed in relief at the sight of Kaoru awake. He still looked extremely weak, but he was awake, and that was all that mattered. Hikaru talked with him, talked him through the pain, even joked with him some, but then managed to withhold the jokes when Kaoru grasped his side in pain from laughing. A week of this passed before Kaoru was finally allowed to return home, although he remained fragile in Hikaru's mind._

_Hikaru could still remember how insanely comfortable he was snuggled up next to Kaoru that night. _

_And for once, he didn't blame the universe. _

_The universe had saved his beloved Kaoru._

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehehe I made the twins Avatar fans! XD<strong>

**I'm still debating what to do for next chapter, so it's going to be awhile before I post it.**

**Read & Review :)**

**-Ookamii**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile, guys. :) Hopefully this makes it up to you.**

The sun was fading behind the towering structures of the city, overwhelming Hikaru in shadow. He stood with others solemnly, all eyes on the light as if it were a clock. In a way, it was almost like a deadline, and one that they failed to reach on time.

"We'll have to come back, I guess," Tamaki broke the silence, brushing his bangs back with a sigh. Hikaru's eyes were downcast, but he nodded. He felt like a failure. He was growing more and more desperate by the second, if that was even possible at this point. The retribution he placed on himself for failing to track down his little brother was unbearably strong, as well as a sudden spark of discontent that his friends had also failed. It took every ounce of control not to snap at the boss, to remind him that Hikaru was not the only failure at this point. However, Hikaru remained silent where he stood. The sun had officially set.

"But Hika-Chan can't go back," Honey added softly. "His parents won't let him back out."

"That's true," Kyoya spared a glance at Honey. "If we really wish to be successful we have to keep our business out of the way of the authorities, including Hikaru's parents."

Meanwhile the twin's forehead was pounding with stress and worry, although he did take a moment to pray that Haruhi wouldn't invite him to her place. He would sooner take a tranquilizer dart to the head than sleep in that horrid excuse for a home. Well, maybe that was too harsh, but it was still cramped as hell.

"He can stay with me," Kyoya offered smoothly. A vast array of surprised faces turned in Kyoya's direction. Hikaru was almost ready to thank Senpai for his kindness, but then he spoke again. "Any of you might let him run away and screw up the mission by himself. My security can watch him and act quickly if that were to come to his mind at any time – anywhere." He pushed up his glasses with a smirk.

_Figures…same old Kyoya-Senpai._

Hikaru's shoulders drooped as the gratitude withered into a dry "thanks". He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shuffled solemnly behind Kyoya.

"Do…do you think he's alright?" Hikaru managed to squeak on the ride home. Kyoya didn't look at him. "I mean, couldn't they have…killed-killed him by…now?" His eyes grew wet with worried tears and his heart raced. Even a second's worth of a glance was enough to tell Kyoya that Hikaru was near his breaking point for the second time that day. He would need to be – sympathetic…lovely.

Kyoya searched and searched before finally settling on the blunt answer, "I'm sure he's fine."

Hikaru _really _hated that answer. He curled up against the leather seat of the car and mumbled to himself. Kyoya couldn't stand watching him like that; the poor kid looked absolutely _pathetic_. It wasn't like he didn't understand what he was going through, but he never thought Kaoru going missing was enough to put such a weighty dent in the twin's life, he never thought they were that close.

_What else could they be doing with a bond like that? _

Kyoya stifled the thought with an intense shudder.

"Look," he sighed. "Why are you letting this hit you so severely?" When Hikaru turned back to Kyoya he looked frighteningly aggressive, as if furious that such a question had been asked. Knowing that Hikaru was about to intervene, Kyoya raised a hand to signal that he wasn't finished. "I mean, I know you're in distress, but you're acting completely mental, Hikaru. None of us are letting our emotions get the better of us, so why are you giving up? What's the help in letting go?"

Hikaru's expression changed from aggression to a mournful thoughtfulness. He refused to look at Kyoya as he sat up in his seat again, gripping the edges and staring out the window dejectedly.

"Because I was supposed to protect him," his voice was barely above a whisper. Kyoya blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm his older brother – I'm the one who needs to be looking out for him. I let myself get sidetracked by a whore, and now look where it took him. He's gone, Kyoya. He's gone, and he's not coming back," he sobbed.

"He's not gone, he's still alive, and we're going to keep it that way. And anyways, you're twins. Even if you're a few minutes older than him I'm sure it doesn't make that much of a difference. Kaoru can handle himself fine, but these people had the upper hand. If it was you in that situation, you'd probably be kidnapped as well. Kaoru made a mistake walking home that day, you can't blame yourself forever."

"But that's just it! I pushed him into walking home, it's my fault! I called him such…awful names…I-I hit him…I," he broke off. Kyoya's eyes seemed to bore into him, and he found himself shrinking away before finally burying his face in his arms, unable to look any longer. However, shock overtook pain when he felt Kyoya's soothing hand on his back.

* * *

><p>Hikaru had trouble sleeping that night – an every night thing for him – but it was even worse at Kyoya's estate. The place was so…professional. Hikaru hadn't even received a welcome as he walked in, only a few vacant stares from Kyoya's brothers and Yoshio Ootori. Fuyumi was rather kind, however. Hikaru had met her in the hallway on the way to his room, and she proceeded to apologize on behalf of the family before leading him into a firm embrace. Surprisingly, he felt incredibly lonely watching her walk away as he opened the grand door to the room.<p>

It was just as he thought it would be: grand, very large, almost reminiscent of his and Kaoru's bedroom, but very…white, and metallic. It was incredibly contemporary and modern, yet showed signs of the family's wealth all the same. The marble wall adjournments shone with moonlit radiance, moonlight splashed elegant puddles around the suite from a giant window to the right of the bed. The window seemed almost like a picture frame, circling the stars and entrapping them for only Hikaru to see. The bed was a simple king sized with a black comforter and matching pillows. The Hitachiin could only imagine what the bathroom looked like.

"I'll be taking my leave, then." Kyoya finally spoke. Hikaru had almost forgotten he was there. "We'll continue to search tomorrow." And with that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Hikaru to face the night alone. It was rather – intimidating.

_It's insane how they can make a Hitachiin feel like an ignorant commoner…_

He didn't know how long he stood there, staring out the window as vacantly as the people downstairs, but it suddenly felt right for him to wash off everything that had happened that day. The bathroom, as expected, was even more fabulous than the bedroom itself. Everything gleamed of white marble and looked as if a militia of maids had just scrubbed the place down.

_Perhaps this room isn't used much._

The shower itself was cobblestoned and haughtily posed in the very center of the outrageously large bathroom. It was designed to appear as though you were bathing underneath a waterfall, a glamour that even Hikaru himself was not used to. He sulked as he imagined Kaoru's equally awed expression. He just couldn't properly appreciate the beauty of it all without his twin.

Hikaru reached for the handle and gently turned it, groaning in relief as the wet droplets cascaded down his body and encased him in steamy bliss. He reached blindly for the bottle of shampoo – that was strangely fruity smelling – and scrubbed the contents into his hair, massaging his scalp gently. The smell overwhelmed him with memories of Kaoru and how he had loved the strawberry conditioner Hikaru had picked out for him, or how they had shared a watermelon once and proceeded, with matching devilish grins, to spit them at every maid in sight, or how Kaoru had shown him how to blow the flame out _before _putting the cherry in his mouth so to avoid burning his tongue.

After carelessly patting himself dry with a hand towel, Hikaru situated himself under the comforter so he could let his gaze linger on the moon. His hand grasped the pillow, his eyes focused on the bright orb, his entire body in a dream-like state. His trance was broken as he could hear Kyoya arguing with his parents over the phone, though he wouldn't have been surprised if he was imagining it. Many failed attempts later, Hikaru Hitachiin closed his eyes and fell into a deep, uninterrupted slumber.

* * *

><p>Harsh rays of sunlight shone into Hikaru's groggy eyes when he found the will to rise the next morning. He stretched and rubbed his neck irritably; the mattress was obviously not accustomed to his frequent tossing and turning. He massaged his neck and moved his head in centripetal motion until he heard a low <em>pop<em>, then sighed and sat up, examining his surroundings. The black comforter was in a messy pile on the floor, the sheets barely covered Hikaru's nude form, and there were multiple drool spots on his pillow.

_That's rather embarrassing…_

He tried to scrape them off with his nail, only to have his head droop in surrender after the failed attempt.

_Better get dressed. I don't want Kyoya to see me naked._

He sighed and tossed his legs over the bed before making his way to the closet at the other end of the room. When opened, it revealed an entire rack of business suits, much to Hikaru's disappointment.

_Co-owners or CEOs must stay in these guest rooms a lot. Perhaps that's why Fuyumi's so lighthearted; someone needs to be around here._

He was about to turn around and simply wear what he did the day before, even if did make him look like a grungy commoner to Kyoya's family, but a piece of white fabric behind one of the suits caught his eye. Pushing the mass of black aside, Hikaru found another rack behind the first that held casual wear. He silently thanked God before deciding on the white collar shirt he had noticed and a pair of black capris. Finally, sliding on his flip flops, he checked the clock on the bedside table.

_10:30 A.M. … Kyoya must be taking pity on me. _

And so Hikaru lumbered out the door to face another day.

"It's so hot," Haruhi gasped as the gang stopped for a much-needed break on an unfamiliar street corner. Hikaru didn't like the looks of this part of town: it was so quiet, and very shady in most parts, but rather ominous. He could see people curiously sticking their noses through the blinds of the apartments across the street, apartments that lacked a playground and balconies. To isolate the complex even more, there was a large stone fence blocking the windows of the first two stories. Hikaru could almost hear the complaints of the people living there.

"I know," Tamaki sighed, brushing his bangs aside to reveal his glistening sweat. "But we can't stop yet."

Mori-Senpai nodded and placed a very tired Honey-Senpai back on his towering shoulders. The group walked on, passing hollow faces and grotesque alleys. It wasn't long before Honey was begging for water. Hikaru scanned the area, noticing a meager grocery shop only a small walk ahead of them. The six instantly picked up the pace, relief pricking at their spines.

Kaoru was able to ignore the heat; having your arms forced behind you and tied with scratchy rope tends to distract you. He didn't understand what was going on or where they were, but he didn't ask questions. He had learned better from Suzume. Kaito tugged him by his bound arms and kept him steady as he was forced out of the van and into shade and the smell of rotting garbage. They were in an alley, across from what looked like a grocery store. Takeo locked the van and strutted over to the three, handing a cell phone to Suzume.

"There he is," he pointed to a group of people, a very _familiar _group of people. Kaoru examined the group and felt his heart leap in sheer excitement as he saw the rest of the host club, and a distinct figure – one that looked exactly like himself.

_Hikaru!_

"That's the other twin all right," Suzume confirmed. "That's Hikaru."

Even hearing his name sent Kaoru's heart racing. He was so happy – more happy than he had been in awhile – he just wanted to run into his brother's arms…but he couldn't. His happiness faded. He was stuck. Then his sad realization turned into more of a frightened epiphany as Kaito pulled out his gun. They wouldn't shoot Hikaru. They couldn't. Kaoru would sooner jump in front of the bullet, and it looked as though he might have to attempt it.

Takeo nodded at Suzume and Kaito before walking calmly across the street, not toward Hikaru or the host club, but toward the grocery store instead. Suzume handed Kaoru the phone.

"Call Hikaru. I'll give you a minute to say whatever you wish to him, but then you have to listen to us and say what we tell you. Understand?"

Kaoru nodded and swallowed thickly as Kaito cocked his gun and aimed it at the unsuspecting twin. Nervous and unable to breathe, Kaoru dialed the number, then put the receiver to his ear and proceeded to watch Hikaru longingly.

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_

…

"_Hello?"_ Kaoru held his breath at the sound of his brother's voice.

"H-Hikaru?" he whimpered.

There was a long silence. Kaoru could see Hikaru stop in his tracks. The rest of the club turned to look at him, stopping as well.

"_Kaoru." _It wasn't a question. He sounded so relieved, and Kaoru couldn't help but smile.

"It's me, Hikaru. It's me, and I'm okay," he went on with a teary smile. Meanwhile, Hikaru had fallen to his knees across the street.

"Hika?" Kaoru's voice grew concerned when he didn't answer.

"_Kaoru, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kaoru. This is all my fault. But I'm going to find you. Do you hear me? You need not worry, your big brother will find you. We will be together again, I promise."_ He was crying too, Kaoru could tell.

"Hika, I," but Suzume indicated that his time was up.

"Tell him that he cannot stop at the grocery store. Tell him he needs to keep walking straight or we'll shoot him."

Kaoru couldn't stop the tears from flowing freely down his face. "Hika, you need to keep going. Don't stop at the grocery store, please, they'll do something horrible to you."  
>"Tell him we'll shoot him," she hissed. Kaito glanced behind his back at the two. The expression on his face was obvious. <em>Hurry it up.<em>

"_The grocery store? But how could you possibly – Kaoru, where are you?" _Hikaru was now frantically searching the perimeter.

"No Hikaru, they'll hurt you." Kaoru tried pleading with him, but his desperate whines were enough to keep Hikaru motivated.

"_I don't fucking care,"_ he started. Kaoru received another look from Suzume.

"They'll shoot you! Please Hikaru!" Kaoru was almost screaming into the phone.

"_I told you, I don't care. I'll die for you. Where are you? Tell me, Kaoru."_ Kaoru shook his head, smothering his cries with his palm.

"I can't," Kaoru murmured. Kaito's finger lingered over the trigger.

"We have to do it," he decided. Kaoru's eyes grew wide in panic.

"Hikaru, _move,_" he cried, and then a sound like thunder split the air.

Kaoru heard Hikaru's shriek of pain. From there, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The phone slipped from his hand. He watched in horror as Hikaru collapsed on the side walk, the host club surrounding his limp form. He couldn't see blood, and that was good. He didn't want to. The sight would make him even more sick than he already was. He must have screamed without realizing it, because he could hear Tamaki holler his name, the blonde was running at full speed toward the trio. Suddenly Takeo was with them. He grabbed Kaoru by his hair and forced him and Suzume back into the van before concealing them in darkness once again.

Tamaki felt the air leave his lungs as the van drove off, leaving him in the dust. He collapsed, gasping for breath, silently cursing himself for not moving faster.

"Here," Takeo took a hand from the wheel and tossed the pack of bullets to Kaito. "Just bought 'em."

Kaito remained unmoving for the longest time, then nodded and stuffed the ammunition in his pocket.

"Next time, we'll get 'em in the head."

* * *

><p>"Damnet Camille, I cannot let that happen. If in truth you are not lying about your pregnancy then perhaps I'll let you return one day...but until then - you know what, I refuse<p>

either way. I refuse to allow your virtue to be soiled by that boy any longer. You are going to stay with your mother, and you are never returning.

The blonde continued to struggle, but to no avail, before she thoughtlessly swung her trunk at her father's face. The elder man groaned in pain and cupped his cheek as Camille

ran. She didn't get far. Camille was never a very smart girl to begin with, but to think that if she had only took her heels off when running, she might've made it.

But she didn't take her heels off, and so her father mournfully explained to the investigators how his daughter had fallen on the track - and ultimately perished.

* * *

><p><strong>XD CAMILLE IS NO LONGER! <strong>**I'm sorry, I shouldn't be celebrating that, I just didn't like writing her - at all. To the person who said their sister's name was Camille - I promise, I have nothing against her! **

**I like to imagine that Camille was lying about the pregnancy, because I think it would be a little too harsh to kill the baby. That would be unforgivable in my book, and so, I simply imagine the baby did not exist in the first place. As for the people who wonder how she could have gotten pregnant in the first place, the condom broke. **

**Next chapter may get intense, or at least I want it to be intense. Whether or not it seems that way to you guys depends on my writing.**

**And if any of you laughed at Kyoya imagining what the twins could be doing in their free time, congrats, you get a cookie. :3**

**-Ookamii**


	10. Chapter 10

**ZOMG NEXT CHAPTER! BFIHFOAFBBBQ**

**Review please. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the clothes on my back.**

Kaoru had basically given up all hope of being rescued by the time the van actually stopped. He allowed them to play rough with him – to bind his arms and legs, put a thick gag over his mouth. They weren't laughing anymore at least, but the abuse didn't cease when the laughing did. In fact, they were even more abusive to him. It was his fault that the shooter missed, that the call had not gone the way they hoped, that they hadn't received their money yet, and that Hikaru had spotted them. If Kaoru wasn't such a valuable asset, they would have probably shot him dead before he could utter another whimper. He didn't mind. He wanted to be killed. He blamed himself as much as they did – for walking home that fateful day when he could've swallowed his pride and left safe and sound in the limousine, for not being able to keep Hikaru out of danger. Hikaru was probably dead – and it was all because of him.

He didn't struggle when they forced him into the glare of the afternoon. He didn't cry for Hikaru – the hole in his heart was more than enough to make up for all the pain he had caused him. He didn't even open his eyes to see where they had brought him. For a moment, he actually contemplated begging them to shoot him, that is until the arguing began. When he opened his eyes he couldn't see his hands, they were tied behind his back, but he could see Kaito's hand firmly on his shoulder, and then the barrel of the gun pointed straight to his head.

_Perhaps if I try to escape he'll take me down faster – less painfully._

It sounded like a good plan, and he quietly inhaled before exhaling in anxiety. Was he really going to attempt it? Wouldn't it technically be considered suicide to try and get Kaito to shoot him? He didn't really care.

His muscles twitched in preparation for a lunge, but for some reason he stopped. As soon as his ears stopped ringing and his thoughts cleared, Kaoru realized Suzume and Takeo were exchanging very hostile words. He listened in, tilting his head a bit to take in the full conversation.

"I refuse! I refuse to go back there, I mean, you almost killed a kid, damnet! What if we're next? I don't want to die, Takeo. I've had enough of these risks."

"And whaddaya think will happen if we don't finish 'em off? Huh? Ya' think we're just gonna stroll out of here without bullets in our brains? I've always promised you the best, but I'm not gonna let the likes of you get in the way. If you don't wanna come along, I'll shoot you right here and now!"

Kaoru heard what sounded like a gun being drawn and cocked, although he couldn't tell which person had whipped it out. Kaito became stiff and released his grasp on Kaoru, moving to catch a glance of the drama.

"Suzume!" Takeo's panicked voice screeched.

"Fuck you, Takeo." And three shots were fired.

Kaoru couldn't comprehend everything that happened next – as if it had all occurred in slow-motion. He had strained to get on his feet as he heard the rumbling of the van and Takeo's sharp cries of anger, while Kaito had gone to join the fight, so perhaps it was his gun that was going off the entire time. Meanwhile, Kaoru felt a hand roughly tug at his collar and before he knew it, he was running. He didn't know who he was running with or where he was running too, actually he was more focused on the fact that his hands were still bound. He was, however, grateful that his feet had freed themselves. He heard the ear-piercing rings of bullets flying, and then a woman's cry of pain. Perhaps it was Suzume who was running with him. He didn't turn to look back. Then he heard a man curse extremely loudly, the sounds of cop cars drawing closer, and finally the engine of the van as it sped the way.

It was only until he steadied his heartbeat that he decided to look around. He was crouched in a dark alley way – the damned things seemed to follow him – with a panting and wounded Suzume beside him. His hands were free though, so perhaps she had been the one to cut them loose. He pulled the gag off and gasped in relief. Looking around for the other two one last time, Kaoru heaved a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Suzume, the blaring sirens sounding off in the distance.

The bullet had hit pretty close to her knee, making Kaoru flinch. He almost pitied her – that would not be an easy nor a painless heal.

"I've put myself in pretty deep shit, haven't I?" she asked, surprising him. He merely blinked before turning his attention back to her wounded knee.

"Nah, you'll be fine. I'm sure of it." He picked up the gag and his eyes brightened. Suzume merely raised an eyebrow at him as he tied it around the wounded knee. He tightened the knot, making her grit her teeth, a hiss of pain leaving her lips. She glared at him.

"Hey," he waved his hands in defense, "I'm just trying to make sure you don't lose a limb," he chuckled. "Besides, now when you don't want to do something you can make the excuse, 'I took a bullet to the knee.'

They just sat there for the longest time, in silence. Kaoru felt like they should move just in case Takeo and Kaito returned, but he felt he needed to ask her the questions that gnawed at his bones.

"Why'd you do it?"

He was answered with another eyebrow.

"You didn't have to. I-I kinda wanted to die anyways."

"No you didn't," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "You need to see your brother before you go six feet under."

"What if he's dead?"

"He's not."

"…."

"I swear to you, I saw where the bullet hit. It only clipped his arm."

Kaoru felt a wave of relief hit him. He had a reason for living again.

"Not to sound rude, but I'm happy to see you cry. It shows you aren't immune to what Takeo did to you."

"What?" Kaoru didn't even know he had been crying. He wiped the tears away quickly before turning back to her.

"Takeo likes to break people. I'm glad he didn't break you."

"…why?"

"You don't deserve it."

"I don't understand."

She sighed and looked away. "I didn't sign up for this mission ten years ago to kill a child."

"Why did you then? Sign up, I mean."

"I grew up poor. I lived in a crummy, one-room apartment until I was thirteen – don't remember the city. My father used to beat me, sexually assault me, make my mother cry – until she was shot, that is. My brother promised to take care of me. He was always the one I ran to, the one I could always trust…" she paused, her eyes hazy and staring.

"…what happened to him?

"Takeo – Takeo shot our father. He was drunk and he had a gun with him, he threatened me, and Takeo shot him. We lived in an old and beat-up garage that Kaito had found for us shortly after that. Takeo fed me and looked after me. He took up drinking though, and that's when he went _wrong_. I guess he never learned from father."

Kaoru didn't know how to respond: he felt so guilty. All his life he had felt so lonely – so unblessed because no one seemed to care for neither him nor Hikaru. Yet, he had grown up in the lap of luxury to make up for all he lacked. Suzume had literally grown up with _nothing. _Unsure of himself, Kaoru reached a hand toward Suzume's shoulder. He took another deep breath and placed it firmly on the spot, squeezing a tad for good measure.

"You boys," she began again, making him jump. "You boys brightened those years as a maid. You two were the most troublesome, irritating, and meddling little bastard children." He could detect the smile in her tone.

"We liked you a lot."

Kaoru felt like it was all he needed to say.

"I could tell," she smirked. "Now, what's our next move?"

Kaoru thought on this. Suzume wouldn't last long with that busted leg of hers, but he wouldn't dare leave her behind. If they didn't move quickly the van would likely come back, so they couldn't very well just wait for help. Besides, they were in an extremely secluded area guarded by fences, so no one would see them anyways. He didn't know where they were, so where on earth they were supposed to go for assistance was beyond him. He hadn't paid attention to the length of the drive, so any hope of finding Hikaru and the others would be on Suzume's shoulders. In actuality, Suzume would probably have to take charge considering Kaoru was extremely lost at that point.

"Beats me," he settled on, shrugging a bit. He stood up and reached out his hands to help her up, which she gratefully accepted. She flinched as pressure was put on her shot knee. "We just have to get out of here – and get you help for that knee."

"We need to hurry then. If the bullet stays in my knee for too long I'll be in even worse condition by the time we find help."

Kaoru nodded and placed an arm around her waist for support, leading her along. They talked as they walked, planning and whatnot.

"…so then we call the police and direct them to where we last saw Takeo – if they haven't already caught them, that is."

"They haven't," she sighed. "I know they haven't. They're crafty one, Kaito especially, and desperate."

"The most dangerous type of person is a desperate one."  
>"I know you didn't make that up on the spot," she smiled at him.<p>

"I don't know what you're talking about." he pouted playfully.

"That saying was far past your literacy level."

"Not true! My literacy level is quite high."

"Quite?"

"Shut up."

"Fine."

A few minutes of silence passed between the two, occasionally broken by a pained gasp from Suzume.

"My father used to say it all the time." Suzume just looked confused, so he elaborated. "The quote – my father told it to me."

"He's a smart man. Desperate people are the most dangerous. I should know."

He nodded again. Suddenly Suzume could feel his body become rigid against hers, and he pulled her, a tad too forcefully, behind the brick entrance of an abandoned hotel.

"We've got company," he pointed as the familiar white van turned a corner only a few feet away. Both froze where they stood.

"Did he see us?"

"It wouldn't be too difficult." Kaoru's eyes flashed around the adjourning neighborhood. "We're the only ones out here."

The van didn't stop, though. It kept moving before finally turning the corner and disappearing.

Neither Kaoru nor Suzume moved for the longest time. Both were stiff with fear that any sudden actions would call attention to them and lure the van back.

"He's bound to come back through here sooner or later," she huffed, stretching out her leg a bit, looking to the corner warily. "We need to move. I want to help you find Hikaru ASAP."

Suzume was already limping down the street before Kaoru could even come to his senses. Before long he was following behind, not caring to catch up – just watchful of the many streets and corners behind them. They were sitting targets in the middle of the street. The fact that there were no other people made the situation even worse.

_God, help us._

* * *

><p>Tamaki cleared his throat as he entered Hikaru's hospital room. The poor teen had already been through so much that day – Tamaki wasn't sure if he wanted to give him more bad news. He didn't want to break the news of Camille's demise to him. Perhaps if he hid it just a little longer…<p>

He approached the bed steadily, taking Hikaru's hand in his own and rubbing it with his thumb.

"Doing okay?" he whispered.

"He's stable," Haruhi responded. "His arm's doing fine despite haven just taken a bullet." Her eyes were red and puffy – much like the eyes of the rest of the Host Club. Upon looking around Tamaki discovered that Honey was asleep in Mori's lap and Kyoya was typing away, as usual.

He smiled softly and turned back to Hikaru.

"That's great. It'll be no time before we can continue the search."

Hikaru didn't respond. His face only looked more pained, his eyes refusing to open, teeth biting into his bottom lip.

"He's dead," he choked out.

"Pardon?"

"Kaoru's dead." His voice was too hoarse for him to yell, or else he would have.

"That's not true," Haruhi instantly stood, rushing to Hikaru's side. "You have to have more faith in Kaoru than that. He's still alive, I know it."

Tamaki reached to wipe some of her tears away. When their eyes met, she instantly understood what he was asking her to do. Her head bowed, Haruhi quietly shuffled out of the room.

"He doesn't blame you, you know."

Hikaru didn't respond.

"We'll find him, Hikaru."

Hikaru didn't respond.

"Please, talk to me." Tamaki begged.

Hikaru didn't respond.

_And I won't respond._

Tamaki only stared pitifully at his companion's lost gaze. Hikaru wouldn't speak – wouldn't look at anyone. He briefly turned his head to the direction of the window, but that was all. Silent tears ran down his face, and Tamaki wasn't sure whether to wipe them away or leave them, but he supposed it wouldn't matter either way. He felt like a failure.

He was supposed to take care of his family, keep them all nice and safe in his little carriage, keep them together. He had lost a son, a dear son at that. Tamaki, feeling himself become lost in thought, instantly regretted every insult he had thrown at the twins – every criticism. He would take them all back if he could. True, the twins probably took no real offence in any of his unusually degrading pet-names like "devils" or "doppelgangers". He couldn't help but feel guilty. He felt guilty for everything – Kaoru's kidnapping, Hikaru's slow-coming insanity, the family breaking apart…

_Mommy dearest – what have I done to us?_

Haruhi burst once more through the door, and Tamaki was shocked to see Hikaru react so fluidly to her entrance. The depressed patient blinked and looked to her expectantly – as if waiting for any type of news, his expression blank, reading…searching…

Ms. Fujioka was completely out of breath…but she managed to hold herself steady against the door frame as she examined the room with wide, excited eyes. Even Honey had awoken from his nap at the ruckus she had made.

"K-Kaoru," she nodded, smiling brightly.

Hikaru instantly sat up, his face filled with a reluctant hope.

"Kaoru…is downstairs. He's safe, Hikaru. He's alright," she sobbed.

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN (Not Really xD)<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed. ;)**

**-Ookamii**


	11. Chapter 11

**YAY REUNION CHAPTER! :D**

**Yeah...I've been gone for awhile. A tornado struck my town and left quite a bit of damage, but I'm okay, and so is my laptop. ^^**

**Anyways, I've been watching a ton of anime lately! I've managed to see as many episodes of _Hetalia_ as I can possibly wrap my brain around, and I started these two series that are quite new to me: _Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi_ & _Junjou Romantica_. I've also read this amazing manga called _The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. _Seriously, check it out guys. It's brilliant.**

**HikaKao is awesome.**

**Makeout session below, but nothing too steamy yet.**

**Notice my use of the word "yet". ;)  
>Enjoy!<strong>

**I OWN NOTHING!**

Hikaru had made quite the ruckus when Haruhi had informed him of his twin's whereabouts – more specifically, that he was only a short elevator ride away. He had given the nurses hell, tangling himself in the sheets, kicking and screaming like a small child. At one point he slapped a very frightened looking nurse in the face, and although he felt remorse for doing so, he figured he would apologize later. At last he managed to force his way out of bed, a one-man-militia storming through the halls of the hospital, searching desperately for an elevator, or stairs, _something._ Other patients took to pinning themselves against the walls as he shoved wheelchairs and doctors out of his way, ignoring their annoyingly _loud _protests.

Kaoru remained downstairs in the lobby, smiling whole-heartedly as he was embraced by his friends. He patted Suzume's back encouragingly as the nurses led the injured woman to a room of her own. She only glanced back at him, mouthing the words _I'm sorry_, forcing a small smile, and finally allowing the demanding nurses to push her along. It was then that he was suffocated by the Host Club.

Haruhi had made it quite clear that she was not about to leave his side until she was sure he was not wounded. Honey had enveloped him in a teary hug, telling him how much he and Mori had worried about him and how happy they were that he was safe. Mori only smiled and patted his back. Kyoya, surprisingly enough, also made an effort to hug him – even though it was by far the most awkward thing Kaoru had ever experienced. Tamaki – well – Tamaki was Tamaki. He made an effort to be subtle, but it didn't quite work out that way. The second he saw Kaoru he had attempted to squeeze the living daylights out of him, tears like streamers glittered on his cheeks and both boys collapsed on the cold tile. Kaoru only coughed as he was pressed against the tile, but managed to squeak, "Missed you too, boss." He was bombarded with numerous questions: where had he been, what had they done to him, if he was still mentally sane, etc. The list went on for days. Quite honestly, he hardly paid any attention to them. He had a question of his own.

"Where is Hikaru?"

As if to answer his question, the elevator door opened, and out tumbled a very frantic and very confused looking Hikaru. He glanced quickly from side to side before realizing the scene before him, and everything happened in slow motion from then on.

Kaoru slowly came back to his feet, pushing Tamaki off of him, never once looking away from Hikaru. The other Hitachiin seemed much more lost, and instead gawked at the picturesque figure of Kaoru in awe, his brain calculating the possible outcomes of the scenario like a super computer. This could be Kaoru, his twin, the one he had been searching for since he could remember, standing before him in the flesh. It could be safe to go up to him, to latch on to him and never let him go. Or, it could be a fantasy, a mirror playing tricks on him. This was a dream, a stupid, cruel, heartless, _tantalizing _dream. He could run up to the figure, spread his arms wide, and hug a very warm cloud of nothing. He was too afraid – too confused. He couldn't move his legs, couldn't stand. He felt chained to the ground while his mind reached for his twin, eagerly awaiting his familiar scent. He sat there, sat there and cried silently.

"Hika," Kaoru extended an arm toward his brother. "Hika," he repeated, voice shaking. His legs began moving. His arm remained outstretched as he walked, but he felt as though he was getting nowhere, so he walked faster. And then he could feel his heart pound in his chest, and the pounding echoed through the space between them. He was running. His breath was completely unstable as he ran. He felt unstable in general. His brother was his only stability. Hikaru was the structure in which he used to stand. Hikaru would barricade him from running any further. Hikaru would place a pair of soft lips to his forehead and quiet his breathing once and for all. But Hikaru was still so far – and then he wasn't.

They collided simultaneously – as always. Their fingers interlaced while their foreheads rested against one another. Soft whimpers came from each as they held and cried. Hikaru was the one to break the serenity of the moment. It had taken him the entire moment to understand that what was happening was not fantasy – it was actually happening. Kaoru was safe in his arms, against him, not dead, _not dead, not dead._ That awareness brought Hikaru back to his emotional consciousness, so much so that he broke the mutual placement of their fingers and crushed Kaoru's frail body to his own, then let loose and ear-splitting wail. His _emotions _drenched Kaoru's shoulder completely, not that the younger twin minded. He accepted Hikaru's warmth gladly.

"Thank God…oh thank God! I'm s-sorry, s-so s-sorry…I-I never," Hikaru's blubbering was hushed by Kaoru's gentle rocking. He allowed himself to snuggle into the familiar body and be rocked like an infant. It was oddly comforting, and he couldn't help but let the happy tears flow freely. He reached up and cupped the cheek he had slapped weeks prior, rubbing it repeatedly with his thumb, then lifting himself to plant a tender kiss on the same cheek. Kaoru blushed and, now desperate to be even closer, lowered his lips to the identical pair and completely closed any space between them.

"Mmmhh! Kaoru?" Hikaru mewled, breaking the kiss breathlessly. Kaoru blinked back tears and stuttered quietly, unsure of how to explain the sudden act of love. It was all very confusing. Being in Hikaru's arms again was one of the happiest feelings Kaoru could ever imagine, and yet during the fateful moment he felt as though his heart would explode from his chest. He was nervous, _very _nervous. He wanted to laugh – and vomit. He wanted to kiss his brother again, but something stopped him, perhaps the shocked and sweaty, _and beautiful_, face of his brother as he stared up at him in awe. The Host Club was gone, probably having left them to themselves to catch up, so it was unlikely they had seen the twins' romantic fiasco. But that was just it, wasn't it?

They were _twins_. He shouldn't have been feeling the emotions that coursed through his veins like a tsunami hitting high tide. It was morally unclean. Although, Kaoru smiled to himself as he recalled that similar moments had happened before. They used to kiss all the time: before they went to bed, when they woke up in the morning, when one was sad or crying, when one got a splinter, when they just happened to want a kiss, etc. Yet those kisses were all very playful and experimental kisses, not to mention that the last time their lips had touched had been when they were twelve. This kiss wasn't anything playful or even experimental. It was a very real, very soothing, and very passionate kiss. And Kaoru could see the obvious question in Hikaru's eyes.

_Did we really…?_

He nodded in confirmation. For a long moment it seemed neither Hitachiin moved. They simply stared into each other's eyes, feelings of confusion consuming the previous feelings of relief. It came to the point where Kaoru could not stand the awkwardness, and tried to turn away, only to be pulled back by Hikaru.

"Hik-," he was interrupted as Hikaru placed two fingers over his lips. Slowly, both boys leaned in before sharing mutual groans of satisfaction when their mouths fused again. Wet kissing sounds echoed throughout the empty lobby, while time seemed to stand still for both twins. Hikaru broke the kiss once more, but this time flicked his tongue across Kaoru's lips sensually before descending down to his neck and sucking lightly on a sensitive spot. Kaoru writhed in pleasure and moaned quite loudly, forcing Hikaru to silence the provocative sounds with his own lips yet again. This continued for a few more minutes while curious hands lavished hair and tugged on clothing, creating a sense of togetherness between the preoccupied couple. When they finally found the will to separate, it was only the identical pairs of lips that parted; yet the twins themselves remained as close as ever, taking in each other's soft breaths and feeling a new kind of relief and warmth grow within their hearts.

Kaoru didn't speak. The moment was too perfect to soil with his own meaningless thoughts, and all that was worth focusing on was Hikaru – his brother, who was once again warm and reassuring…and thankfully, right in front of him! The excitement soon washed away, though, leaving a simple feeling of satisfaction in both their minds. They could return home together now, back on their own turf, back to school like always…

Kaoru's mind, however, had not fully settled. Those comforting thoughts of normality soon faded into a dull dread. They would return to boring days of knowing what was going to happen, of Hikaru being obsessed with Camille again, and of Kaoru being left behind little by little. They would probably fight again, too. Kaoru was definitely not looking forward to that. It seemed like the best moment, the moment he had been looking forward to for so long now had come and passed, leaving nothing to anticipate, only something to prepare his heart for.

_Perhaps things will be different. We kissed…we – I felt something._

Perhaps things would be for the better. Maybe Hikaru would forget Camille and go to him instead like in the old days. Kaoru knew his brother better than anyone, like actually _knew _him. Perhaps they would cuddle, laugh, and joke like when they were children. Kaoru would stroke Hikaru's hair every night until he fell asleep, just like they were younger. Hikaru would cup his chin and kiss him so tenderly and – Kaoru's thoughts had never gone that far. He didn't know whether to be surprised or not. The "brotherly love" act had always been somewhat of a game for the two of them, but Kaoru could not help but notice that it was a tad _too _realistic. They often did share a bond closer than any brothers they knew. The kiss confirmed it, and did uplift Kaoru, if only a little bit.

"I love you."

Kaoru was so lost in his thoughts he almost missed Hikaru's confession.

"God, I love you so much," the older twin repeated, burying his face in the crook of Kaoru's neck. "I won't lose you again Kaoru. I swear to you, I won't harm you anymore."

"You never did harm me, Hikaru," Kaoru reasoned. "I hurt myself. I egged you on and pissed you off. This was all my fault," he stated sadly.

"I punched you and told you to screw off. Not my best lines," he joked. Kaoru shrugged.

"I deserved it. I was a jerk."

"So was I."

"Shut up," Kaoru smirked rubbing their noses together, giving his Hikaru sweet Eskimo kisses. Hikaru accepted the gesture, but found that he still wanted more. He aimed to kiss Kaoru again until he heard the others return.

The confusion that lingered in the air only grew more suffocating as the Host Club reentered the lobby, sweets in tow. Both twins couldn't help but feel violated and uncomfortable as they were once again surrounded by meaningless onlookers, including the damn nurses. Honey nommed on a pastry happily, exclaiming more words of relief as crumbs spilled from his open mouth.

"I assume you've made up for all the lost time?" Tamaki questioned hesitantly.

"We hate to give you guys a time limit, but it's crucial that we get both of you back home, the sooner the better," Kyoya chimed in. Hikaru merely rolled his eyes and dug his face further in the crook of Kaoru's neck.

"M' comfortable right here!" he exclaimed in protest. Kaoru smirked, giving a sideways glance to where the club stood impatiently.

"Why the hurry? It isn't like we're in any danger, and this is the first time Hika and I have seen each other in God only knows how long."

"_Mom and Dad can wait, I'm sure,_"they added in unison.

Tamaki and Kyoya flashed knowing glances, and both twins immediately separated their laboring grasps on one another, yet didn't move an inch further. "_What?_" they finally asked.

"Nothing," Kyoya cleared his throat uneasily. "It's just that – ," he stopped and immediately hit the ground as the glass windows shattered behind him. The rest of the club scattered to find cover, Tamaki grabbing Haruhi, Mori grabbing Honey, etc. Kaoru tugged Hikaru behind the receptionist's desk as the entire hospital rang with sounds of screaming and gunfire. It hurt Hikaru's ears more than anything else. Still, the twins held each other tight, ignoring the heavy footsteps that approached their hiding spot.

Kaoru screamed as he was yanked off of Hikaru by his hair, the barrel of a gun pressed firmly to his throat. He could see another pair of arms grab Hikaru and do the same.

"Found ya'," the spine-tingling voice of Takeo chuckled.

* * *

><p><strong>See ya on the next chapter!<strong>

**- Ookamii**


	12. Author's Note

**And you're mad at me now.**

**-le sigh-**

**Honestly, I'm not sure that I can complete this story, and my reasoning as to why I am not capable of completing it is entirely selfish.**

**I don't like it.**

**Honestly, I really don't like this story.**

**I found out fairly quickly that I could not write a decent Ouran fanfic to save my life, and this proves it. I like the villains in the story. I love the twins, even though I feel like Kaoru is a pathetic little weakling here instead of a sassy, seductive, sublime twin like he usually is on the show. The club really shouldn't exist at all because I cannot write them worth shit. The chapters are too short and not detailed nearly enough, and I just did not put the time and effort that I should have. I'm terribly sorry for that.**

**There are other reasons why I have stopped writing this: life, lack of interest, laziness, shame…**

**I'm no longer a rabid fangirl of HikaKao like I was before, and instead have moved to shipping UsUk. Bad timing, I understand, unfortunately I really cannot help it. The fanfic I'm currently writing – Necare Amare – has the time and effort that I sadly could not or just simply _did not _put into this. If you want to change ships or just give that story a try even though you aren't a Hetalia fan, please do. I can write fanfiction better than what you have seen here, and I feel like that story is a better example of my skills than this one. It isn't all about romance, either, so some may be able to enjoy the plot without being a fan of the ship.**

**One of the problems is I'm continuously maturing, learning new words and strengthening my vocabulary. I cannot continue a crappy story and only make it good near the end; it drives me crazy.**

**Anyways, I'm sorry if I have truly disappointed you. You can decide for yourself what happens at the end.**

**Ciao bella,**

**Ookamii**


End file.
